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Does The World Still Need Bubble Wrap?
Jeff Maehre
Packing materials can now be made from seaweed.
One inventor won a contest with an inner layer of a box that uses triangle networks to secure shippable items.
Is it possible that bubble wrap, which celebrated its fifty-eighth birthday in January 2018, is now becoming obsolete? Let’s explore.
The reason bubble wrap is controversial and somewhat forbidden is that it’s petroleum based. Since it’s plastic, when it breaks down it releases harmful gases. Further, most curbside recycling programs don’t accept bubble wrap because it tends to jam machines. When you add these factors in with the fact that bubble wrap often gets popped and can easily get torn before re-use, plus the practice of many businesses overpackaging with too much of it, it’s easy to see why bubble wrap does not have a good name.
bubble wrap does not have a good name.
What may replace bubble wrap?
You may have received a package with a thin layer of soft, delicate tan material protecting it rather than foam or bubble wrap. This would be bamboo, which is becoming more and more popular with firms shipping electronics, with Dell being one example. Bamboo couldn’t be more suited for use in packing materials and other products: it’s easy to find near a company’s various facilities; it grows back quickly, making it very renewable; and it’s biodegradable.
While some of the materials made from bamboo may not seem to give as much protection as the big tubes of bubble wrap trapping air, or even traditional bubble wrap, they can be used for shipping a variety of materials. And as I alluded to in the intro, all sorts of bio materials can be used for packaging. Mycelium, palm fiber, and bagasse are three common examples.