FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS REGARDING „ENVIRONMENT“

If the product in the box isn’t protected, it can move around during shipping and can be damaged. This equally applies to packed products in a shipping box. And a broken product would not only be annoying for the recipient, but also bad for the environment: far more energy and resources are needed for the damaged product to be returned and for a new product to be manufactured and dispatched once again than for the manufacture of paper or air cushions that prevent the product from being damaged.

Why are small products sometimes dispatched in very large boxes with a lot of protective packaging material? 
We do, however, offer our customers advice regarding efficient packaging processes in order to play our part in ensuring that only the protective packaging material that’s needed is actually used.

Absolutely yes! However, for lowest environmental impact we suggest to dispose of products via the locally available disposal options, preferably via established collection for recycle. In most countries and communities the collection for plastics and paper for recycling are well established. Thus, it is the simplest and best way to contribute to the recycling of those products.

We have investigated if such data would be meaningful. As there are no standards for such studies we believe they are incomplete and misleading. Therefore, we have decided to stay away from such studies/statements.

All Storopack protective packaging can be reused. Non-business customers, for example, can use it to return a product or to send other products. And trade and industry can use loose fill which is returned to them to dispatch products once again.

Yes, all of Storopack’s protective packaging is recyclable. It can be processed and reused in a variety of industrial products. The only exception are our products from renewable raw materials – they are not always recyclable, but compostable.

All Storopack PAPERplus® paper pads are 100% curbside recyclable. Storopack does not use coated paper. Disposal via existing recycling facilities contributes to reducing the use of primary raw materials.
PAPERplus® uses only inks which the recycler can easily remove (de-inking process).

As a consumer in the United States and Canada, all plastic film is store (like Target, Wal-Mart, or local grocery stores to recycle same bin as their shopping bags) drop off only. Please safely puncture the air cushions to release the ambient air and return to any local grocery, supermarket, or store that recycle their own plastic bags. 
All standard AIRplus® films carry the How2Recycle® label. For more information, go to how2recycle.info

Ideally, they can be used again, for example, as protective packaging. Recycling of FOAMplus® is very easy. You can drop off, mail or ship all FOAMplus® materials to any of our 19 North American plant Locations.
As a component of the general waste stream, FOAMplus® foam is an outstanding fuel for modern plants that generate energy from waste. When disposing of the foam packaging, the PE protective film does not need to be separated from the foam.

Our loose fill product Renature® made from vegetable starch is 100% compostable in accordance with ASTM D6400. They can be disposed of with the normal household trash or as organic waste.

In the United States and Canada, 60% of all recycled Loose Fill is reused as Loose Fill. Below you can find a map for Loose Fill recycling centers and drop off locations: http://www.epspackaging.org/

PAD LOC® PAC – recycle film at any local drop off store. Just like our AIRplus films. For Loose Fill, drop off at any local packaging stores (Mail & Parcel Centers) PAD LOC® RENATURE® - film is compostable so you can throw it in the landfill or take to any local industrial composter. RENATURE® Loose Fill - „just add water and watch it disappear“ or take to any local industrial composter.

MAILERplus® is ideal for multiple use. For the recycling of MAILERplus® in the US and Canada, the film should be separated from the paper. The paper is 100% curbside recyclable and the plastic film is store drop off only. 

Very different types of protective packaging can be needed depending on the goods being shipped. While fragile and lighter items like porcelain and glass can be ideally protected in a box using the compostable loose fill RENATURE®, heavy technical components require paper and foam packaging in order that the product is stabilized in the shipping box. This type of protective packaging isn’t compostable, but it can nevertheless easily be recycled.

It depends on the product. Some PAPERplus® paper pads in  this line  contain recycled material, while other PAPERplus® paddings do not.

For the paper pads containing recycled material, the proportion is at least 40%. Some of the paper pads are made of 100% recycled material.

Each material has its own manufacturing and disposal advantages and disadvantages. Paper has the advantage of being made out of the renewable resource wood. Meanwhile, PE film (polyethylene) production requires less energy and water than paper and can also be recycled with a lot less energy. All Storopack protective packaging can be reused and recycled.

AIRplus® air cushions are made from PE (polyethylene) film. We manufacture the films at our own production facilities. PE film is characterized in particular by the minimal use of resources for its manufacture and by its excellent mechanical properties – it is especially flexible, allowing you to reliably cushion, block and brace, and wrap all kinds of products.

No. Neither unpleasant odors, nor toxic vapors or effluents are created during the manufacture and processing of the PE films used for our air cushions. Production of the PE films is chlorine- and sulfur-free, they do not contain any plasticizers or heavy metals, and they do not pollute groundwater.

It depends on the product. Some AIRplus® Void films contain recycled material, while other AIRplus® films do not.

Those films which are produced with recycle content do contain a minimum of 50% recycle. 

We have to make a distinction here between bio-based plastic, biodegradable plastic, and a mixture of the two. Bio-based plastic is made entirely or partially from biomass like corn, sugarcane, or cellulose. Compostable plastic is generally broken down into carbon dioxide and water under certain conditions. There are also “OXO-biodegradable plastics.” These are conventional plastics which have had metals added in order to make them degrade. 

So-called OXO-biodegradable plastics should be avoided: many experts question whether the fragments (or microplastics, depending on the size) are truly fully biodegraded. Additionally, the additives in OXO-biodegradable plastics can have a negative impact on recycling. 
For more information on bioplastics, see also: Article by the German Environment Agency (UBA) on bags made from bioplastic.

PELASPAN® PAC Loose Fill is made from 100% recycled EPS (expanded polystyrene) which is 100% reusable and 100% recyclable.
Our RENATURE® Loose Fill is make from a renewable resource, starch which is 100% certified compostable.

FOAMplus® foam packaging is made from expanded polyurethane called PUR. PUR can be found in many everyday objects such as upholstered furniture, mattresses, shoes, clothing, vehicles or technical equipment.

FOAMplus® 5504R packaging foam is made partly from recycled polyol. Waste and leftover polyurethane from manufacturing or consumers are processed at recycling facilities in order to produce polyol. FOAMplus® 5504R has similar properties to the base material and can be used to produce high-quality protective Packaging.

No, foam is a so-called inert substance, which means it is chemically stable and will not react on its own by getting in contact with air, water or other substances.

Yes, safety data sheets are available upon request.

PAD LOC® PAC is an engineered cushion, recyclable film pouches filled with recyclable EPS loose fill, produced and delivered by Storopack as a finished good. With its superior cushioning, PAD LOC® PAC is recyclable and reusable.
Storopack is also offering a fully compostable packaging solution with PAD LOC® RENATURE. Made from renewable resources, PAD LOC® RENATURE film and fill is certified compostable.

MAILERplus® is manufactured in USA with kraft shell and LDPE-low density polyethylene on the interior of the mailer. Fully recyclable with the label removed.

As a rule, Storopack focuses on sustainability in accordance with the “4 Rs” principle of REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE, and RENEW. For more information, go to https://www.storopack.us/sustainability/environmental-policy/
We pay attention to using limited resources and energy in the production of our protective packaging and technical molded parts. Wherever possible, the Storopack production plants use energy sourced from waste  heat. We also manufacture without generating chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). And last, but not least, the low weight of our protective packaging and molded parts plays a part in reducing fuel consumption during shipment.

The equipment at our locations also plays a major role when it comes to protecting resources. We are therefore committed to efficient energy management and continuously optimize the energy footprint of our locations. We have already achieved considerable reductions in our CO2 emissions and energy consumption thanks to a variety of modernization measures. In regular audits, we analyze how we can improve even further. More information can be found here: https://www.storopack.us/sustainability/energy-efficiency/

Storopack is part of the global initiative “Alliance to End Plastic Waste”, which seeks to save the planet from the scourge of plastic pollution. 
Plastic waste in the environment, especially in the world’s oceans, is a huge problem. Together with some 40 other firms, we have signed up to the mission of allowing no plastic waste to enter the environment and cleaning up existing plastic pollution. 

Storopack is an exclusive sponsor of the Big Blue Ocean cleanup program, one of the world’s leading nonprofit organizations for cleaning the oceans. We’ve been supporting the international nonprofit foundation Big Blue Ocean Cleanup since 2018. As an exclusive sponsor of the coastal cleaning program, we’ve dedicated ourselves to a long-term partnership. Big Blue Ocean Cleanup makes an active effort to raise awareness of the current state of the world’s seas and is dedicated to protecting marine life and sustainability for clean oceans and coastlines – with initiatives dedicated to cleaning beaches, removing plastic from the ocean, offering training courses, and informing partners and the general public.

By participating in the Operation Clean Sweep initiative, Storopack is making an important contribution to protecting the environment from plastic pollution. Within our German, French, and Spanish Molding locations, we have committed to the objectives of Operation Clean Sweep and thus set the goal of preventing any plastic particles used at our production facilities from finding their way into the environment through water. This is an important contribution to preventing granule loss in the plastics value chain.