The rise in demand for shredding products

With the continued growth in e-commerce and consumer focus on sustainable packaging, shredding products are in high demand, as businesses look to drive forward their sustainability efforts by repurposing unwanted cardboard.

Shredding cardboard waste has multiple benefits, namely reducing costs and improving carbon footprints. Often referred to as a ‘one time investment’, shredders are an environmentally responsible and sustainable way to save money, with the excess packaging created used for void fill, reducing recycling and material costs.

We note that the e-commerce and 3PL sectors especially have been under pressure to ensure they are using sustainable packaging and that is why they are turning to investing in shredding machinery.

It may not seem like a first-choice solution. After all, buying more new equipment could be seen by some as consuming more resources and increasing environmental impact rather than reducing it. But, for businesses currently shipping container loads of bailed cardboard waste to recyclers, investing in a shredder can allow them to shred the material and re-use it. This approach will actually remove the re-cycling costs, reduce the carbon impact of transporting the cardboard, and eliminate the need to buy other void fill products to protect their goods in transit as they re-purpose the waste as packaging as void feel.

With the journey of moving over to more sustainable packaging products, it’s key that organisations remove costs from their current packaging methods wherever possible to ensure they can afford to make the switch. That can be a challenge where eco-friendly alternatives come at a higher price. However, by ditching the bailer and investing in a shredder that ‘win / win’ of lower costs and greater sustainability are actually a real opportunity.

However, there are a wide range of shredders available on the market so finding the right fit for each organisation is key. That is where we can help. We understand how the circular economy is key to reaching a sustainable future and understand what products can support businesses to get to that future. We also know how to asses each organisation’s equipment needs to get the best equipment fit for the fastest return on investment whilst supporting the business’s ESG goals.

Whatever the need or choice, shredders should be a staple product for all industries as they are an excellent way for businesses to feed into the growing circular economy movement.