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How next-gen designs are closing the gap between boxes and traditional mailers

The choice between mailers and boxes has traditionally meant trading speed for protection. Mailers offer efficiency, while boxes provide the cushioning needed for fragile items. This binary approach creates inefficiencies across thousands of shipments, particularly as consumer expectations and regulatory requirements intensify.

Consumer expectations and regulations are forcing brands to rethink their packaging. Shoppers increasingly favor environmentally responsible brands, making sustainable packaging a growth driver, not a tradeoff. At the same time, tightening laws like California’s SB 54 and expanding Extended Producer Responsibility requirements are accelerating the shift.

The traditional choice between mailers and boxes is being redefined by hybrid solutions that deliver box-level protection with mailer efficiency. For fulfillment operations navigating rising costs, tightening margins and increasing sustainability pressure, WaveKraft recyclable, padded mailers represent a shift in how protective packaging can meet operational, regulatory and consumer demands.

How next-gen designs are closing the gap between boxes and traditional mailers | Packaging Dive

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