Sustainability efforts are impacting the auto industry both directly through efforts to develop hybrid, electric, and lower-emission gas engines, and indirectly through factors that include the eco-consciousness of logistics supporting the industry. While the majority of automotive businesses are reacting to consumer, and potentially regulatory pressures, to enhance their sustainability, 46% of consumers believe that the auto industry is falling behind in sustainable packaging. 

Auto parts are often heavy, many more are fragile, and a fair number are both. To ship these parts it’s not uncommon to use cushioning solutions that have a reputation for high-performance. The protective properties of plastic foam-in-place, which combines two chemical components that expand into foam around a product, have made it a common choice in the automotive industry. But aside from the challenges that come from working with chemicals, foam is rarely recycled and requires specific facilities and expensive processes to break down when it is. More often than not, it ends up in a landfill where it breaks down into microplastics over time.  

In reality, embracing sustainable packaging for the automotive industry without sacrificing performance is not only possible, it can often be more affordable. In fact, the right solutions can improve sustainability while also increasing protection in the most common damaging drop scenarios.  

Ranpak’s paper cushioning consistently outperforms plastic foam-in-place across key metrics gathered from real customer pack-outs: 

• Paper cushioning absorbs 40% more shock than foam on average 

• Secure up to 70% on in-the-box materials costs 

• Paper packs up to 50% faster than foam-in-place 

• 78% of consumers prefer paper to plastic in in-the-box packaging 

• Paper is curbside recyclable and biodegradable 

• Foam is rarely recycled outside of specialized facilities, and can sit in a landfill for generations before breaking down into microplastics 

Paper isn’t just a highly-recycled material, it’s also strong enough for the most critical cushioning applications, secures cost savings, and satisfies the end customer. Learn more when you read our full whitepaper: Paper vs. Foam-In-Place