Lumi considers products low weight if they fall below 25% of the average weight of other options that perform a similar function. In lifecycle analyses examining the environmental impacts of packaging, reducing weight is a critical way to reduce carbon emissions in transport1.
For example, a poly mailer is considered a lightweight option for ecommerce shipping when compared to a corrugated box which can weigh 10 to 20 times more.
Efficiencies in the movement of products that can reduce net carbon emissions.
Why choose it
As most of our goods are trucked and shipped around the world in fossil fuel vehicles, reducing the weight of a package is one of the best ways to reduce its carbon emissions1.
Companies opt for low weight packaging as a way to use less fuel in shipping to their warehouse and to their customer. Lower weight can also drastically decrease shipping rates.
Why not choose it
Focusing only on weight incentivizes packaging options like plastic poly bags that can be difficult to recycle and don’t naturally compost or biodegrade2.
Companies may choose higher weight materials that excel in other properties like recycled content or curbside recyclability.
It depends on the needs of the package. If the corrugated is used to protect against compression, then yes it would be considered lightweight when compared to other protective trays and inserts. If the corrugated is being used simply as a shipping container, it would not be considered lightweight when compared to plastic poly mailers.
Life Cycle Inventory of Packaging Options for Shipment of Retail Mail-Order Soft Goods (Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, 2004)
The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the Future of Plastics (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2014)
Life Cycle Impacts of Plastic Packaging Compared to Substitutes in the United States and Canada (ACC, 2018)
