StarchTech Broadens Sales of EcoSystem Packaging Solution

StarchTech, the developer of loose-fill packing peanuts made from plant starch, not oil, announced today it is broadening sales of its EcoSystem Packaging Solution beyond packaging supplies distributors and core customers to multi-channel merchants desiring more sustainable packaging and significantly lower transportation and handling costs.

The StarchTech EcoSystem Packaging Solution gives multi-channel merchants the ability to produce loose-fill packaging peanuts on site where and when the peanuts are needed. One trailer load of starch-based resin pellets, each about the size of a grain of rice, is equivalent to 23 trailer loads of expanded polystyrene. The starch pellets are expanded on site with an easy to operate, low cost machine.

StarchTech packing peanuts can be engineered to maximize the content protection requirements of the merchant and offer exceptional protection for fragile goods such as electronics and odd-shaped products. Depending on the number of trailer loads of polystyrene peanuts purchased annually, return on investment for the EcoSystem Packaging Solution from lowered overall costs can be reached in one year or less.

Because the StarchTech patented resin is made from plants, not oil, the manufacture of the starch-based resin has comparably lower CO₂ emissions than polystyrene packing peanuts -- 37 pounds of CO₂ less per cubic meter. This savings quickly adds up. For the equivalent volume of 23 trailers of polystyrene peanuts not manufactured there is a reduction of 96,388 pounds of CO₂. Corporations showing these kinds of reductions from the use of a plant-based product, rather than a petroleum-based one, can proudly point to significant improvements to the sustainability of its packaging and to an overall carbon footprint reduction for corporate social responsibility reporting purposes.

Additional StarchTech EcoSystem Packaging environmental impact and cost lowering advantages

Because one trailer of StarchTech resin pellets replaces 23 trailer loads of expanded polystyrene peanuts there are other significant additional environmental and cost savings. Organizations can quickly calculate those savings using the information below by comparing the number of truckloads of polystyrene packaging peanuts received and potentially eliminated.

Every Hour of Less Transportation Saves

Using the above numbers and an estimate of 8 hours and 400 miles for each trailer load-sized delivery, a reduction of 23 trailer loads would conservatively net the following savings. (Note: One multi-channel merchant eliminated 142 tractor-trailer loads in one year using the EcoSystem Solution.)

Reduction of 23 trailer loads

StarchTech starch-based packaging peanuts are BPI certified compostable to the ASTM 6400 standard and made from renewable resources.