Advantages of Using Foil Bubble Wrap for Packing

Bhawna
5 min readFeb 27, 2020

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Bubble wrap insulation was introduced to this world in the year 1960 and quickly became the top choice for shipping different materials across the globe. This durable, light and versatile packing material was initially used for shipping mass-produced computers of IBM and today, it is history how bubble wrap insulation has risen to be the sought after packing medium for a wide range of products. Interestingly, the inventor of insulation bubble wrap himself first used the invention for popping the bubbles.

In its earliest evolution, packaging was reckoned merely as a container and its role evolved over time to include sophisticated functions like advertising. Certain packaging is also so unique that it attracts instant attention from customers. With the evolution of bubble wrap insulation, one of the biggest benefits for a variety of product manufacturers is its ability to insulate impacts. The explosive growth of e-commerce with particular reference to the electronic industry has given a further fillip to bubble wrap insulation since a cross-section of manufacturers and vendors find insulation bubble wrap as the most convenient and economical means of securing expensive and delicate merchandise and move it over short as well as long distances. Most of us have also experienced the effectiveness of bubble wrap insulation while receiving our mobile phones, iPods, Laptops or other similar devices. Thanks to the bubble wrap insulation, we are able to receive these expensive gadgets in their pristine state.

Bubble wrap insulation affords excellent cushioning, extended protection, low cost of packaging, near-zero damages to contents, apart from being recyclable and environment-friendly. Further depending on specific needs, you can also source insulation bubble wrap with varying sizes of bubbles. The smallest bubble that you can get is 6 mm while 26 mm is the biggest. Some vendors may also offer custom sized bubbles when you have a significantly large requirement on a recurring basis. Similarly, the ease with which you can put the bubble wraps into use and the ability to apply the wrap to any size and shape. Most e-commerce companies like Amazon, Walmart, Alibaba etc are using bubble wrap extensively in getting their merchandise across to global and local customers.

Customers can also find bubble wrap insulation in varying sizes, colours, self-sealing, and anti-static variants to address a wide range of needs. Apart from packaging, bubble wrap also finds applications in farming, particularly for strawberry farmers in preventing the strawberries from touching the ground.

Let us now turn to some of the more specific advantages of insulation bubble wrap.

Insulation from impacts

The primary function of bubble wrap is keeping goods secure and safe while in transit. Road bumps and rough handling are inevitable in freight transit and shippers have to take additional care to ensure the safety of their packages. The bubbles in the bubble wrap contain air providing a durable and flexible cushion presenting a sturdy barrier from potential impacts. When two or more layers of bubble wrap are used to cover corrugated boxes, it affords excellent protection even from severe impacts. A simple example of this is your mobile phone which travels several thousand miles from the point of original manufacture to the hands of the customer. Across this journey, the package containing several mobile phones will be tossed around multiple times at airports, cargo terminals, trucks, and other points through which the package passes. For those who handle these packages, it is a routine job across the day and they hardly ever bother about the content of the package. Despite all the rough treatment, when you receive a new mobile phone and unbox it, you receive the phone exactly in the state in which it was packed by the manufacturer.

Reusable

When the bubble wrap insulation is carefully removed by the end-user who receives the packages or warehouses where the content is stored differently, the bubble wrap insulation can be reused for the same or similar goods, except when it has suffered serious damages in transit. When 80 to 90% of the bubbles in a sheet remain intact, it is a good candidate for reuse. Thus, bubble wrap is eco-friendly compared to many other types of packaging and cost-effective because of the potential for recycling. You would have noticed that some e-commerce companies offer customers the facility to return the foods when they are found defective, damaged, wrong size or whatever other reason. Recyclability of bubble wrap makes it extremely convenient for the customers and vendors to get back the goods in scratchless condition.

Extremely lightweight

In the void filling space for packaging materials, bubble wrap is the lightest among all options and its structure mostly comprises of air and the ultra-light plastic lends high durability. These attributes make bubble wrap an excellent candidate for light packaging translating to significant savings from the cost of shipping, particularly for bulk consignments. Lesser packaging employed translates to the lower weight of the consignment translating to lower freight and inland cost of transportation.

Cost-effective

Bubble-wrap insulation is not only versatile but also cost-effective. Today, many vendors can offer custom sized individual bags, large rolls for businesses that need to pack several boxes every day. Whatever be the product you need to pack, its dimension or shape bubble-wrap is the most ideal way to protect them and ensure that your customers receive the material without any room for complaints.

Extremely versatile

Bubble wrap is extremely versatile and can protect every description of cargo. With just a pair of scissors, you can cut the bubble wrap sheets into any desired size or shape. The larger sheets are also flexible enough to effectively protect many odd-shaped materials and packages. Outside shipping and logistics also bubble wrap has many useful applications. For instance, some people insulate windows during summer using bubble wrap. You need just some creativity to unlock a sea of possibilities with bubble wrap.

Excellent stress reliever

Starting with the very inventor of bubble wrap, popping the bubbles has remained an excellent stress reliever all through the decades. Merely pick up a discarded sheet of bubble wrap (or new) and start popping the bubbles. In less than a few minutes, you can unwind from all the stressful events of the day and walk away with a refreshed mind.

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Bhawna

Marketing, Branding, Social Media. Reader, Learner, Public Speaker, Humorist.