Eco-Friendly Packaging

One of the most overlooked aspects of wire and cable installations is the impact of packaging waste. While programs such as RoHS, LEED and REACH have considered the use of environmentally-hazardous materials in the product itself, the packaging used to transport and dispense these products has received little attention in terms of material composition, disposal, recyclability or reusability.

As the most commonly-used package for “last mile” lengths of structured cabling, REELEX is undergoing an initiative to further improve and understand the impact of product packaging on the environment. By taking a cradle-to-cradle perspective on wire and cable packaging, REELEX offers environmentally responsible packaging options for environmentally responsible companies.

When compared with other packaging methods, REELEX allows the greatest opportunity to use recyclable, reusable, compostable, and reclaimed materials.

Recently, many manufacturers have switched from virgin corrugated material to using post-consumer recycled cardboard in their REELEX boxes. As a result, the REELEX package becomes part of the most successful recycling programs in the world: corrugated paper recycling. For more information on corrugated recycling and materials, please visit: www.corrugated.org

RF60 - Fiber Tube

The REELEX box has always been an comparatively eco-friendly package, as over 80% percent of a REELEX package is compostable, recyclable, and can be manufactured from post-consumer materials.

However, while the majority of the package is manufactured from eco-friendly materials, the other 20% of the package is represented by a payout tube made from injection-molded HDPE. This plastic is indeed recyclable, but not compostable, and has never been easily manufactured from reclaimed material.

To make recycling REELEX packaging even easier, we now offer a REELEX II plastic tube replacement called the RF60.

This new payout tube takes recycled paper materials such as phone books and cardboard, and uses a specialized thermoforming process to produce a strong, compostable and recyclable REELEX II tube.

As opposed to spools and reels that utilize multiple (and often environmentally-hazardous) material types, these new tubes allow the entire empty package to be manufactured from a single material that is compostable, renewable, recyclable and can utilize post-consumer sources - thus offering a true sustainable packaging system.

REELEX = Less Waste

Because spools, reels and reel-in-box packaging require a central drum to dispense the product, attaching the drum to the flanges of the reel requires some method of secure fastening. Typically, metal rods or plastic are used for this purpose.

While strengthening the reel, these same components that give the package its strength also mean reels and spools are difficult to disassemble, and even more difficult to recycle. Thus, the entire reel usually gets thrown away, contributing to tons of waste every year. What's more, because spools and reels rarely get broken down prior to disposal, the volume they take up in landfills is enormous compared to their weight.

REELEX boxes collapse and compress easily, or can be cut into strips or shredded; thus minimizing disposal volume. For maximum environmental footprint reduction, the Reuser Case system utilizes a single package for thousands of coils; thereby reducing per-coil waste to near zero.

Packaging Options

The cardboard box

Unlike reels or reel-in-a-box, which are difficult to flatten or disassemble, installers prefer REELEX corrugated boxes because the box can be easily broken down or shredded. Empty REELEX boxes take up less volume than comparable packaging, and are thus easier and less expensive to dispose of or recycle.

Reusable packaging

The Reuser Case is a durable, weatherproof, cost-effective system designed to be reused indefinitely. The Reuser Case system reduces on-site waste dramatically, as the per-coil materials consist of simple bands, straps or stretch wrap.

Wrapped coils

Because REELEX coils do not require rotation, packaging waste can be reduced to a bare minimum by simply stretch or shrink wrapping the coil. While the wrapped coil package does not utilize compostable or renewable materials, it does reduce the volume of packaging waste to insignificant levels.