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What paper cushioning cannot do
An honest account of the limits, because a substitution that fails costs more than the plastic it replaced.
Paper is not a moisture barrier. Kraft absorbs water, loses stiffness when wet and does not recover fully when it dries. A product that must stay dry needs a separate barrier layer regardless of which cushioning surrounds it, and no paper format changes that.
Paper does not hold air. Plastic air pillows resist compression because they are sealed; paper resists because of structure, and structure fatigues under repeated loading. For a pack that will be handled many times, paper needs more material to achieve the same protection.
Paper is heavier per unit of protection than plastic. On air freight that is a real cost, and the environmental comparison is not automatic: a heavier paper pack can carry more transport emissions than a lighter plastic one over a long enough route.
None of this argues against the substitution, which is happening for good reasons and works in most applications. It argues against making it blind. Test the format against your own product and your own route, and keep the barrier layer if your product needs one.
Specifications
| Not a | Moisture barrier |
|---|---|
| Fatigues under | Repeated compression |
| Heavier than plastic | Per unit of protection |
| Therefore | Test the format on your product and route |
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