Packraft: Edging up with green packaging

Based in Ballabgarh town of Faridabad, Packraft Containers has established itself as an innovative packaging solution provider rather than being just a packaging material supplier.

Its portfolio of Safepack products delivers innovative and eco-friendly solutions with a combination of three elements: corrugation, angle boards and honeycomb.

What is honeycomb core?

Vashishta says, “We were the first to introduce honeycomb in India with automated facility for producing the core.”

The possibilities with honeycomb are endless. During PrintWeek India team’s visit to Packraft, Vashishta explains, “The honeycomb boards are so versatile that they can be used to develop almost any kind of imaginable application for packaging that requires protection against shock and safety of people handling it. It can be used to safely transport delicate products like bone-china, home appliances, and vehicles among others.”  

Similar to a corrugated board with a fluting medium sandwiched between two liners, a honeycomb board is a sandwich structure with core at the centre of two liners. The internal core has hexagonal structure, which imparts strength to the board.

It uses 140 to 180gsm recycled paper with standard cell sizes of  6mm, 8mm, 12mm and 14mm sizes. Vashishta adds, “Smaller the cell size higher the load bearing strength, while bigger the cell size better is the cushioning strength.”

The combination of honeycomb and paper angle board is used to produce pallets, skids, shelves, racks, edge protectors and cushioning among others. These products boast of lighter weight, lower cost, and eco-friendliness. “We have installed honeycomb racks for retail stores and clients such as Bharti Walmart and Vishal Mart,” says Vashishta.

According to Vashishta, the specialised packaging solutions that are used for load bearing and cushioning applications can reduce the use of wood up to 90% in most of the cases and EPS (Thermocol) can be replaced completely.

Green pallets: The way to go

Packraft produces four types of pallets, which form its tertiary packaging portfolio namely, two-way and four-way pallets with static load bearing capacity of up to 1500kg, four-way plastic feet pallets with capacity of 500kg, four-way flat bottom pallets with 700kg capacity and four-way claded pallets with up tp 1600 kg static load bearing capacity.

Vashishta informs, “Except for plastic feet pallets, all the pallets are 100% recyclable. The advantage is that these pallets do not require any fumigation and wood-moth treatment as in case of wooden skids.”

Packraft has its own plastic injection moulding unit, which manufactures the plastic feet. Vashishta adds, “Pallets with plastic legs are telescopic type and hence occupy less space when not in use. And if you look at the cost of all the pallets, they are almost half the price of wooden pallets.”

Demystifying the eco-friendly character of these pallets, Vashishta says, “Every five paper pallets can save one tree. We at Packraft manufacture more than 300 pallets per day. That is substantial contribution towards sustainability.”

With this Vashishta raises a valid point when he says that the government does not encourage this concept of saving trees. He explains, “The excise duty on corrugated carton is 6% while that for paper angle board and honeycomb is 12% as opposed to zero duty for wooden pallets. We have been writing to the government against these unjust norms but there has been no response so far.”

A corrugated journey

Established in 1996, as a packaging unit catering entirely to Hindustan Syringes and Medical Devices with mono cartons and shipping cartons, Packraft formed a private limited company in 2000.

In 2002, it introduced paper angle boards, which form internal and external cushioning agents and edge protectors. Later in 2008, Packraft introduced the concept of honeycomb in India. With the vision and mission of going green, Packraft treads the way of sustainability. Vashishta proudly says, “It is always refreshing to look through one’s window and see green.”