Rakuten Books: Eco-Friendly Packaging
Rakuten Books is striving to be more ecologically sensitive by using packaging that has been created to simultaneously protect valuable products and reduce the amount of packaging left over after unpacking. Packaging is reduced by taking into account waste reduction from the manufacturing stage.
Rakuten Books has been actively involved in eco-activities since it launched services in 2000. One activity is using recycled paper for cardboard packaging material, which makes the cardboard an eco-friendly material. Creating eco-friendly packaging entails how to use this cardboard without impacting the environment. Eco-friendly packaging reduces waste after the product is received by the customer while also protecting the valuable product itself, so the customer's perspective is taken into account in two ways.
Specifically, the company is working to reduce materials by taking waste reduction into account starting with the manufacturing stage. The volume of paper used in the packaging was reduced, and the man-hours involved in manufacturing the packaging were also reduced by promoting use of unbleached paper and utilizing the natural brown color of the cardboard.
Moreover, workers determine which package to use for each product every time there are products to be packaged. The packaging wraps the products tight and eliminates gaps between the product and the packaging material, which helps reduce unnecessary paper volume, like cushioning material used to fill in gaps.
Converting from white to unbleached brown packaging and using only black ink.
Packaging to Reduce Waste and Protect Products
Rakuten Books uses two main types of eco-packaging, "craft" packaging and "twist" packaging. The company has made a variety of improvements to both types while remaining constantly aware of the need to reduce waste while protecting the product.
- Craft Packaging Reduces Waste the Most
- Craft packaging is the type of packaging most frequently used by Rakuten Books and the type most oriented to waste reduction. It can be disposed of as burnable trash and can be torn up easily by hand. The cushioning material attached to the inside that protects the product is a burnable plastic cushioning material. This packaging method sandwiches the products with craft material, and the packaging material itself is cut into a pouch the size of the product, protecting the product while reducing waste.
- Twist Packaging Wraps the Product
- The next most frequently used packaging method is twist packaging, which allows the size of the package to be altered depending on the size of the product. It wraps the product like a cloth. The material is specially chosen and wrapping is done by hand for each product, so only the minimum necessary packaging is used in line with the size of the product. This means that no cushioning material is used to fill in gaps between the product and the packaging material. Furthermore, this twist packaging is highly air tight, so there is no concern over products being damaged.
With shipments on the rise, Rakuten Books continues to work to make its packaging even more eco-friendly while putting highest priority on considerations for the environment and the customer.
