Rethinking right-sized packaging

Rising shipping costs, labor shortages, growing order volumes, and new regulatory requirements are creating the same challenge for e-commerce companies: more parcels need to be processed faster, more efficiently, and with fewer resources. For brands with their own online shops, pure online retailers, and fulfillment centers, packaging is becoming a strategic lever for cost, process performance, and customer satisfaction.

One key answer is right-sized packaging. In this approach, the shipping package is automatically adapted to the actual size of each product. Instead of placing products into standardized boxes with excessive empty space and filling the gap with void-fill material, a right-sized package is created directly within the process. This can significantly reduce packaging material, fillers, and unused transport volume. By producing demand-based shipping packaging, corrugated board consumption in the packaging process can be reduced by up to 30 percent. At the same time, transport volume can be reduced by up to 20 percent, as less air is shipped and existing transport capacity is used more efficiently – helping to reduce transport costs and CO₂ emissions per parcel.

However, right-sized packaging only unfolds its full potential when companies look beyond the box and consider the entire packaging process. Variable pack sizes, changing board qualities, and sometimes high line speeds create new requirements for process stability. This is where an often underestimated factor comes into play: the adhesive.

The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is adding further pressure on companies to make packaging more resource-efficient. For transport and e-commerce packaging, a maximum empty-space ratio of 50 percent is planned from 2030; the specific calculation methodology will be defined through additional rules. For companies, this means oversized shipping boxes and unnecessary void-fill material are becoming problematic not only from a sustainability perspective, but also from an operational and regulatory point of view.

Right-sized packaging helps address this challenge. The packaging is precisely adapted to the product, helping to avoid both under- and over-packaging. At the same time, transport capacity can be used more effectively, packaging waste can be reduced, and processes can be better aligned with fluctuating order volumes.

For fulfillment managers and packaging developers, it is crucial that right-sized packaging does not come at the expense of process reliability. Packaging must be sealed reliably even with varying formats, integrate smoothly into automated lines, and withstand the stresses of shipping. But the right box is only one part of the solution.

In automated right-sized packaging processes, shipping boxes are typically sealed with hot melt adhesives. Unlike tapes or manual sealing solutions, hot melts can be dosed precisely and applied exactly where the bond is needed. This is particularly relevant when different formats are processed on the same line – such as flat slim-box formats, tall-box formats, or compact cube boxes.

At the same time, the adhesive influences far more than just box sealing. It affects energy consumption, material usage, process stability, maintenance effort, and recyclability – making it an important building block for sustainable packaging processes.

Not every company pursues the same sustainability goals. While some aim to reduce the energy consumption of their packaging lines, others focus primarily on lowering their carbon footprint.

Henkel’s TECHNOMELT E-COM portfolio was developed specifically for automated e-commerce packaging processes and offers suitable solutions for these different applications.

For companies looking to reduce the energy consumption of their packaging lines, TECHNOMELT E-COM E2 COOL offers a direct lever. The hot melt adhesive is processed at just 130 to 150 °C and therefore requires significantly lower temperatures than many conventional hot melt applications.

The difference this can make in practice is shown in a case study with a UK-based e-commerce retailer: after switching from an EVA-based hot melt to TECHNOMELT E-COM E2 COOL, energy consumption dropped by 42 percent, while adhesive usage was reduced by 52 percent. In addition, process stability and equipment availability improved thanks to less charring, reduced maintenance effort, and a longer service life for nozzles, filters, and hoses.

Companies seeking to reduce the carbon footprint of their packaging processes will find a solution in TECHNOMELT E-COM G4 ECO, based on bio-based raw materials and offering a reduced cradle-to-gate carbon footprint. Sustainability is therefore addressed not only through packaging design and board materials, but also through the adhesive without compromising automated packaging processes.

For companies with Scope 3 targets, this can provide an additional lever for reducing the carbon footprint along the packaging process.

Many companies want to reduce both their energy consumption and their carbon footprint. TECHNOMELT E-COM G5 ECO COOL combines bio-based raw materials with a low processing temperature of 120 to 150 °C.

The solution therefore combines the benefits of a reduced carbon footprint with the efficiency potential of low-temperature technology. At the same time, compatibility with paper recycling processes supports a holistic approach to more sustainable e-commerce packaging.

Modern packaging systems for customer-specific packaging automation can process up to 1,100 parcels per hour. This makes it possible to manage high order volumes and seasonal peaks efficiently. At the same time, right-sized packaging reduces material usage, empty space, and transport volume.

For fulfillment centers, online retailers, and brands with their own packaging centers, this creates a dual benefit: more efficient processes and a more sustainable packaging strategy. The adhesive plays an important role here, as it influences energy consumption, process stability, packaging quality, and recyclability.

For companies looking to introduce or further optimize right-sized packaging, the question is not only which machine or board material is the right fit. What matters is the interaction between packaging design, material, automation, application technology, and adhesive.

An adhesive with a low processing temperature can help save energy in the packaging process. A bio-based adhesive can reduce the carbon footprint of the solution used. A combination of both approaches can support companies in pursuing efficiency and sustainability goals at the same time. This is exactly the differentiation offered by the TECHNOMELT E-COM portfolio.

For packaging developers, this means greater flexibility when designing automated packaging lines. For operations managers, it means more stable processes and potential savings in energy, material, and maintenance. For brand owners and online retailers, it means a packaging strategy that not only appears more sustainable, but is also operationally robust.

Right-sized packaging reduces empty space, material usage, and transport volume. However, the full benefit only emerges when the entire packaging process is considered – from box forming to bonding.

Modern hot melt adhesives help make packaging processes efficient, stable, and compatible with recycling. Depending on the objective, they can reduce energy consumption, carbon footprint, or material usage.

For companies, the key question is therefore not only: How large should the box be? But also: Which technologies help capture the benefits of right-sized packaging in a way that is both economically viable and sustainable?