Our new, environmentally friendly shipping packaging: Mini-prisms made of cardboard and cushions made of kraft paper

Some things are so ingenious that we ask ourselves: Why didn't someone think of that sooner? That's how it was for us, too, with our new packing material, which is essentially a high-end version of crumpled paper. From now on, not only are we putting our REA products for shipping in cardboard boxes, but we’re also putting them between cardboard or paper—more precisely, between many small prisms made of cardboard. And we're adding cushions made of kraft paper as needed.

We are using this sustainable packing and cushioning material made of recycled paper to replace the previously used foamed plastic chips. Those chips are not biodegradable and unfortunately turn up again frequently in nature. In the worst-case scenario, children mistake them for something edible. Light or heavy, fragile or rugged—all products now reach their destination in a manner that is as safe as it is environmentally friendly. Cushioning is provided by our new material made of 100% environmentally friendly recycled paper. Each individual part of the cardboard is extremely sturdy thanks to its prismatic shape. As a whole, the prisms have outstanding properties as a packing material because they simultaneously fill empty space and act as cushioning. They hug the product being transported and lock together with their serrated edges, allowing them to keep a firm grip on our products, which arrive safe and sound at the customer's location. In addition, they are antistatic and dust-free.

For parts that are particularly heavy or in need of protection, we also use kraft paper to make our own protective and shock-absorbing paper cushions with a patented fold-and-staple process. It has outstanding shock-absorbing properties and is just as environmentally friendly, dust-free and recyclable as the paper prisms.

Now upon arrival at the destination, all of the packaging for items shipped from REA can be easily fed back into the material cycle through the recycled paper bin. 

By taking this step at REA, we are going further down the path to greater sustainability, environmental compatibility and conservation of resources wherever possible.