Four ways to replace packing peanuts

Manufacturers of packing peanuts continue to develop alternative products at a rapid clip in an effort to minimize these various drawbacks. Anti-static peanuts eliminate static cling, making peanuts go where they are supposed to go - and stay there. Biodegradable peanuts, usually corn starch based, dissolve in water and produce no toxic waste. Recycled peanuts, made from various recipes of post-consumer foams, set a good environmental example for reuse. Paper peanuts, made from a variety of recycled papers, have become common product line extensions for manufacturers and converters of industrial paper products.

However, all these innovations in packing peanuts are much like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. At the end of the day, loose fill of any variety is still messy and lags behind competitive products in cushioning and void fill performance. Anti-static peanuts are expensive. Many types of biodegradable peanuts are dusty and attract rodents. Paper peanuts are heavy, dusty, and hard to handle in bulk. And regardless of the chemical formulation, peanuts remain difficult for consumers to handle, recycle, and dispose of.

Packing peanuts make poor void fill because they settle in the box. But peanut users need not settle. Alternatives to peanuts abound, giving packers more options than they may realize.

Here are four of the best.