Packaging sustainability is not solely a concern for Business to Consumer (B2C) but also for Business-to-Business (B2B) products. Many industries, including coatings, inks, agriculture, and industrial chemicals, are switching to flexible packaging in order to improve their overall carbon footprint. Packaging goes through many processes before they are filled with products. Although some companies have the capability to manufacture, package, and fill at the same facility, this is in no way the standard for the industry. Most in fact, rely on separate packaging and filling manufacturers to take on various aspects of the manufacturing process on their behalf. As such, transportation and storage have the potential to have a significant impact on the overall carbon footprint. Among our MONOSOLUTIONS™ series, CUBITAINER® is getting more attention as a rigid packaging alternative, which is a sustainable bulk liquid container.
What is CUBITAINER®?
CUBITAINER® is a sustainable liquid container.
It is made with single low and linear-low density polyethylene (LDPE and LLDPE); therefore, it optimizes recyclability. It comes in a size range of 1 L/1 quart to 20L/5-gallon with various dispensing options. CUBITAINER® has a wide range of applications, from beverage to industrial chemicals.
Benefit 1: Space-Efficient during Transportation and Storage
One of the formats of CUBITAINER® is called Knock-down. The Knock-down CUBITAINER® is just a bladder without outer corrugate but strong enough to stand alone. The most unique aspect of the CUBITIANER® is the ability to stack each container to maximize space efficiency. Each pallet holds 432 5-gallon Knocked-down CUBITAINER®, whereas each pallet typically would only hold 64 5-gallon blow-molded tight head pails.
In a direct comparison, it would normally require 7 trucks to transport blow-molded tight head pails. While only 1 truck is required for Knock-down CUBITAINER®.
Even a fully assembled CUBITAINER® (CUBITAINER® with an outer corrugate) optimizes the space used during transportation. The Assembled CUBITAINER® can pack side by side and top and bottom to minimize the dead space. On the other hand, the open rigid pail leaves dead space between containers. Having fewer trucks to transport packaging and less space to store in the warehouse reduces carbon footprint significantly.
Benefit 2: Lightweight
CUBITAINER® uses over 80% less plastic than other rigid packagings.
Why does the packaging weight matter to the overall carbon footprint? Because plastic is just a form of fossil fuel. Less plastic means fewer fossil fuels are being used in the creation of the packaging itself, which results in a lower carbon footprint. A 20L/5-gallon open rigid pail weighs about 950g, while a Knock-down CUBITAINER® weighs only 200g.1 ZACROS is also developing CUBITAINER® with Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) plastics to improve sustainability even further.
Benefit 3: Durable and Functional
It has a 97-100% evacuation rate.
CUBITAINER® is not just a lightweight, space-saving liquid container. A Bag-in-Box has a similar packaging system, but it leaves residual between films making it difficult to evacuate completely. In addition, it can tolerate a wide variety of chemicals. Check out the Package Material Chemical Compatibility Tests to understand the general chemical compatibility test. If you need to stack CUBITAINER® with liquid, you can use with the outer corrugate for stable stacking.
CUBITAINER® is a sustainable liquid container for the future. Aside from being monomaterial, it also helps reduce plastic consumption dramatically compared to rigid packaging. Together with lightweight and space-efficiency benefits, CUBITAINER® is the most ideal bulk liquid container on the market that can help reduce the overall carbon footprint of any operation.
MONOSOLUTIONS™
MONOSOLUTIONS™ is a ZACROS original brand name for monomaterial flexible packaging. We offer a wide range of monomaterial liquid flexible packaging. Learn more about other MONOSOLUTIONS™ products in our MONOSOLUTIONS™ blog. ZACROS offers various sustainable liquid packaging products for any level of sustainability needs. We are continuously developing new innovative liquid flexible packaging solutions. Contact us for more information.
1: Based on our internal measurement.