The Inflatable Packaging
New ideas for e-commerce packaging are always in demand. Because online trade continues to boom. A start-up has now developed inflatable packaging for mail orders.
The young company Packair from Pfronten received the Allgäu Founder’s Prize and is now increasingly becoming known throughout Germany. The start-up founders Sarah Kohlen, Martin Säckl, and Raphael Vogler have developed an inflatable reusable packaging with a return system for the mail order business. The aim is to save CO2 and waste – and to ship the goods well protected, of course. The company has now been awarded a prize of 6000 euros at the Gründerbühne (Founder’s Stage) in Kempten.
Packair is developing an automatable, volume-efficient reusable packaging solution with a return system for the mail order business. According to the company, the packaging is designed to be robust, modular, and recyclable, so it can go through up to 100 cycles. “For mail order companies, there are reputation enhancements due to the improvement of the eco-balance, automation possibilities in the storage and packing processes, and a high level of protection for the goods,” the team say.
The reusable shipping package surpasses the basic functions of a parcel by modularly incorporating NFC and RFID technology to transmit data (such as position, shock, humidity, temperature), they say. The package can be easily returned to the return system when empty due to its adaptable packing size and patented technology and is designed for more than 100 cycles. This makes shipping products smart, safe, and sustainable. The invention should enable online stores to meet the increasing demand for reusable solutions and adapt to legal reusable quotas at an early stage.
In addition to the prize money, the winners will receive support in the form of public relations and pitch training. Work is currently in progress to produce the Packair. The novel packaging is scheduled to be launched on the market at the end of 2023.
