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Packaging, shipping and fulfillment
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Sustainable Packaging Solutions

Sustainable packaging isn't a trend — it's the new reality.

Sustainable Is Now Attainable

With each passing day, customers, regulators and governments are increasing their focus on sustainability and placing high expectations on your business to utilize more sustainable packaging and shipping solutions. 

Complying with these demands has proven difficult for many organizations, as cost, material availability and quality control have stood in the way of a straightforward adoption of sustainable practices.

3M’s suite of sustainable packaging products is designed with these concerns in mind, helping drive more informed packaging and shipping decisions.

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New Difficulties, New Opportunities

The Challenges of Sustainability

  • Automated side‑loader recycling truck emptying blue curbside bins on a suburban street, mechanical arm tipping one container while others line the curb.
    Legislation/Regulatory Changes

    As laws and regulations are created, changed, and enforced, navigating compliance to avoid penalties and maintain market access is increasingly challenging.

  • Close-up of a package handoff, with two people holding a sealed cardboard box from opposite sides during delivery.
    Consumer Demand

    Reducing plastic waste is increasingly at the forefront of many consumer decisions, and with the rise of e-commerce and direct-to-consumer shipping, customers are becoming more aware, and discerning, of what packaging materials are used.

  • Large calculator on financial worksheets, surrounded by rolled receipts and a pen, suggesting accounting and expense tracking.
    Cost

    Increased costs associated with more sustainable packaging options come primarily in two forms: higher material costs — compared to conventional options — and increased expenses when adopting new processes.

  • Labeled cardboard parcels traveling on a warehouse conveyor system, rolling through curved rollers toward packaging and shipping.
    Automation

    Due to many legacy systems being designed solely for traditional packaging materials, more sustainable alternatives are often incompatible with existing automated packaging processes, creating both financial and logistical strain. 

  • Two industrial workers wearing yellow and white hard hats collaborate over blueprints and a tablet at a workstation, with factory machinery in the background.
    Quality Control

    As a burgeoning field of innovation, recycled material products may not be as consistent in quality as virgin materials, leading to a greater risk of damage to both shipped items and brand reputation in the event of compromised packaging.

  • Two warehouse employees stand in a storage aisle reviewing a tablet, with tall metal shelves filled with labeled boxes extending into the background and sealed cartons stacked in the foreground.
    Education/Training

    The conversation around sustainability is constantly shifting and evolving, making it difficult to stay up-to-date on the latest rules, regulations, and innovations — let alone ensure your workforce is educated and trained with the most recent and accurate information.

Our Solutions

Your Trusted Partner in Reliability, Automation, and Sustainability

In the face of uncertainty in the sustainable packaging discussion, 3M is putting decades of experience in science-based innovation to use, pioneering new and industry-leading technologies to help address the needs of today — and the challenges of tomorrow.

Explore our ever-growing catalog of sustainability-focused solutions, and discover how choosing 3M as your sustainability partner will make the difference when making a difference.

  • Industrial carton-sealing machine with a large roll of brown paper tape threaded through rollers, mounted on a red base with control buttons and metal framework.
    Scotch® Performance Paper Box Sealing Tape 570

    The first industrial paper-backed case sealing tape with sustainability features made by 3M. With a solvent-free hot melt adhesive that eliminates the need for any water during tape application, this tape is fully compatible with hand, manually-dispensed, and fully-automated sealing processes. This is the future of sealing.

  • Worker uses a handheld red tape dispenser to seal a cardboard box with clear packing tape while it rests on a roller conveyor.
    Scotch® High Tack Box Sealing Tape 371+

    A high-strength, medium-duty hot melt tape constructed with a polypropylene backing made from 60% recycled content. Engineered to deliver a quick and secure seal on a variety of substrates, including up to 100% recycled corrugate, this tape can be used effectively by hand or in automated machine applications.

Additional Solutions to Help Meet Your Sustainability Goals

  • Clear packaging tape rolls in multiple sizes on a white surface, with sealed and stacked brown cardboard boxes in the background.
    Scotch® Plus+ Tapes

    This tape family offers performance-grade adhesion with high tack, quick grab, and excellent adherence to 100% recycled corrugate — helping to reduce overall tape usage. With the added benefit of being fully compatible with 3M-Matic™ Case Sealers, Scotch® Plus+ Tapes offer a no-compromise case sealing experience while helping to minimize product waste.

     

     

    Scotch® High Tack Box Sealing Tape 311+

     

     

    Scotch® High Tack Box Sealing Tape 371+

    Scotch® High Tack Box Sealing Tape 373+

    Scotch® High Tack Box Sealing Tape 375+

  • Close-up of a person applying a white 3M‑branded strip across the top seam of a sealed brown cardboard box.
    3M™ Carry Handles

    Whether applied at the checkout counter or the factory floor, 3M™ Carry Handles offer a simple, yet effective, alternative to large plastic bags. Supporting items weighing up to 50 lbs (22.7 kg) and offering excellent adhesion to a variety of surfaces, these carry handles are designed to help reduce your organization’s reliance on single-use plastic — and therefore reduce single-use plastic waste.

    FIND CARRY HANDLES

Partnership: More Than Just A Word

  • Close-up of two professionals shaking hands across a desk with charts, pens, and an open laptop, suggesting a business agreement.

    Our commitment to a more sustainable future isn’t limited to innovating new packaging solutions — it’s a pledge to nurture partnerships with our customers to identify problems, ideate solutions, and implement improvements.

    Let’s work together to bring about change in a way that not only improves sustainability, but elevates your business operations in the process.

    CONTACT US

Resources

Understand the science-based innovation behind our sustainable packaging solutions.

  • (SPEECH) [NO SPEECH] (DESCRIPTION) Text: Purpose Driven Performance. 3M? Sustainable Packaging. From above, a forest. Workers load boxes onto a truck. Text: The Future Needs Responsible Packaging, Heightened Environmental Awareness, Additional Environmental-Focused Regulations, Increased E-Commerce Shipments, Expanding Corporate Sustainability Goals. Sustainability is a Journey A person walks between stands of tall trees. Text: 3M Delivers Innovation. A package moves off the end of a conveyor belt and bounces off material that moves over a roller. Text: 3M? Padded Automatable Curbside Recyclable (PACR) Mailer Material. Certified recyclable and > 99% repulpable. Lightweight and supports rightsized packaging. Scotch Performance Paper Box-Sealing Tape 5 70. Backing is made with responsibly-sourced paper. Compatible with manual dispensers and automated case sealers. Scotch Plus Tapes. For up to 100% recycled corrugate. 3M Carry Handles. Reduces plastic waste by 74%. Your Partner in Progress. Logo: 3M. Science. Applied to Life. Text: The information contained in this video is intended for industrial/occupational use by persons with the knowledge and technical skills to use such products. For additional information, including important safety and warranty information, consult product packaging, technical data sheets and safety data sheets on 3M.com. 3M, Scotch-Weld, and 3M Science. Applied to Life., are trademarks of 3M Company. ? 3M 2024. All rights reserved.

    Aerial view of a dense green forest with on‑screen text reading “Purpose Driven Performance”.
    Video

    We're bringing you the story of sustainable packaging.

  • Three pages of a brochure with information on 3M™ Sustainable Packaging Solutions.
    Brochure

    Learn how 3M can help you meet requirements for product performance and meet your sustainability goals. We're driving performance with a purpose.

    Download brochure (PDF, 12.6 MB)
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