When you open a package, do you ever stop to think about how it was designed? At Georgia‐Pacific, we think it about it a lot. In fact, we have a whole institute focused on packaging. The team at our Innovation Institute^®, in addition to our employees across the country, are dedicated to finding creative ways to reduce costs and improve the performance of packaging, ultimately increasing the sustainability of products.

Finding the Right Fit

Responsible packaging starts with boxes that fit products efficiently without wasted space and materials. But achieving efficient packaging can be challenging, especially with online shopping. Every order is different and it gets harder to manage inventory and fulfill orders effectively.

To help, the Innovation Institute created CubeLogic^™, an algorithm that analyzes a customer’s order data and distribution capabilities to determine the best numbers and sizes of inventory boxes.

Finding the best fit for a company’s order profile saves both money and resources.

An Eye for Overall Efficiency

Smart packaging goes beyond finding a box that’s the right fit for the contents. GP has always worked to reduce waste and minimize costs across all its operations – from raw material procurement and transportation to mill processes and shipping of finished goods. That same scrutiny is applied to our customers’ entire supply chain through the Packaging Services Optimization (PSO^®) Program.

Developed by the Innovation Institute, PSO provides a comprehensive evaluation of how our customers use packaging, from the time it enters their facility throughout their entire manufacturing process, warehousing, storage and ultimately how they transport the product to retailers.

Does PSO work? You bet. Through the program, GP saves its customers more than $13 million each year, while also improving their environmental performance. By analyzing the production line and packaging system for a large winery, for example, GP was able to increase the strength of the winery’s display cartons to minimize damage and reduce supply chain costs. Adding a Z-divider saved fiber, increased warehouse space utilization and reduced material handling. These results contributed to a $350,000 cost savings, reduced packaging material by 36% and led to a 1,554 ton reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, not to mention significant energy savings.

Packaging system changes enabled another customer to pack more product per box, pallet and truckload. The same amount of product can be delivered in fewer trucks, reducing transportation costs, fossil fuel consumption and the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

More Effective, More Sustainable

At Georgia‐Pacific, we pursue innovative solutions that make packaging more sustainable without sacrificing performance. We know that even small changes can have a big impact on costs, energy use, and natural resources.