Nutritional Products Cut Ecommerce Packaging Waste, Supports Recycling

As part of its sustainability initiatives, health and wellness company AdvoCare introduced a new packaging system for ecommerce order fulfillment in the fourth quarter of 2022. The system is used to pack its nutritional, weight-management, and sports-performance products.

The I-Pack void reduction system from Sealed Air (recently rebranded as SEE) produces rightsized corrugated packs that are 100% curbside recyclable and cut down on waste significantly, committing the company to using less packaging moving forward. The system works by calculating product dimensions in real time and automatically adjusting the case size. Each box is folded at its optimal height, thereby adjusting package volume to minimize voids and optimize package dimensions. Boxes are then lidded and glued.

Since implementing the new machine, AdvoCare, which sells 100% of its products online, has achieved an anticipated 30% reduction in the number of packages shipped and billed by dimensional weight. The company expects to see a full return on its investment in 14 months following the installation.

In addition to introducing the I-Pack, AdvoCare made another sustainability move. It added 1,068 new solar panels to its headquarters and manufacturing facility in September 2022, reducing its dependence on fossil fuels and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. From the time of installation through March 2023, the renewable energy source has resulted in the reduction of overall kilowatt-hour usage every month.

Kassandra Kania is a freelance writer based in Charlotte, NC. She has written extensively about healthcare packaging for a variety of publications.