Right-Sized Packaging in Action: How fitPACK500™ Supports EPR Readiness
Choosing packaging automation now means considering operational performance alongside evolving packaging requirements. For eCommerce brands preparing for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), reducing excess packaging is an actionable step toward better material efficiency and regulatory readiness. The right system should support these goals while meeting the demands of the operation’s product mix, throughput and product protection requirements.
Tension Packaging & Automation recently demonstrated the fitPACK500™ to evaluate how right-sized packaging could support a specific fulfillment operation’s product mix, workflow and packaging goals.
Why Right-Sized Packaging Matters
For eCommerce operations managing a wide range of order sizes, excess packaging can add unnecessary material and shipping costs.
The fitPACK500™ creates packages according to product dimensions by adjusting length, width, and height. This produces smaller, custom-fit packages designed to reduce waste and minimize the impact of dimensional weight pricing and oversized package surcharges. The system can also accommodate a wide variety of product sizes without manual adjustments, providing flexibility for operations with dynamic product mixes.
Explore the fitPACK500™ product page.
Turning Packaging Reduction Goals into Operational Action
California’s SB 54 explicitly recognizes right-sizing and lightweighting as methods for reducing plastic packaging. The fitPACK500™’s ability to tailor packages to individual orders gives customers a practical tool for pursuing these source-reduction objectives, particularly in apparel and other operations where product sizes vary widely.
The opportunity should be measured using the customer’s actual product mix. Comparing existing packaging with packages produced by the fitPACK500™ can establish changes in finished-package weight and dimensions. Evaluating total film consumption, including trim and production waste, provides a more complete picture of material efficiency.
Material selection is another part of the evaluation. The fitPACK500™ can process C-fold film containing 30% post-industrial recycled (PIR) material, with film selection qualified for the specific application. PIR incorporates recovered manufacturing material and is distinct from post-consumer recycled (PCR) content. Customers seeking PCR film should discuss their target content and performance requirements with Tension so the proposed material can be evaluated.
Right-sizing supports the source-reduction component of EPR readiness. Customers must also address applicable finished-package recyclability, producer registration, reporting and fee requirements.
Evaluate Automation Around Your Operation
Putting these opportunities into practice requires evaluating the entire packaging workflow. Tension works with customers to assess product mix, throughput, material performance and integration needs, helping identify the right equipment configuration for the operation.
For operations handling soft goods, apparel, shoes, and other variable-sized items, the HPS-300 Variable Length PolyBagger provides another variable-length packaging option. The system determines package length, applies a label, and creates a finished package.
Packaging can also be integrated into a larger fulfillment strategy. Tension’s SLAM Line automates scanning, weighing, dimensioning, manifesting, and shipping-label application, helping streamline the final stages of order fulfillment.
Find the Right Fit for Your Fulfillment Operation
The right automation strategy starts with understanding your operation, not simply selecting equipment.
Ready to evaluate how right-sized packaging can support your EPR strategy?
Contact us to discuss a fitPACK500™ assessment using your products and current packaging. Together, we can evaluate packagins dimensions, material weight, film options and production performance to identify practical opportunities for improvement.