Meeting Increased E-Commerce Demands and High Sustainability Standards in a COVID-19 World
Manufacturers are closely examining the cartons used to ship consumer goods, as well as the tapes used on those cartons, all while focusing on sustainability.
Even before the global pandemic, increasing direct shipment demands were changing the shipping and packaging industry. However, with the heightened growth of e-commerce directly attributed to COVID-19, the shipping industry is processing and delivering an ever-increasing volume of heavier, bulkier, and more valuable packages—including food, beverages, and electronics—directly to the doorsteps of consumers and businesses.
In fact, e-commerce sales in the second quarter of 2020 accounted for 16% of total retail sales, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, a 44% increase from the same time period last year.1 It has been projected that all e-commerce sales would reach over $700 billion by the end of 2020.2