StarchTech, a developer of loose-fill packing peanuts made from plant starch, is broadening sales of its EcoSystem packaging solution to multichannel merchants desiring more sustainable packaging and significantly lower transportation and handling costs.

The StarchTech EcoSystem packaging solution gives multichannel merchants the ability to produce loose-fill packaging peanuts on-site where and when they are needed. One trailer load of starch-based resin pellets, each about the size of a grain of rice, is equivalent to 23 trailer loads of expanded polystyrene. The starch pellets are expanded on-site with an easy-to-operate, low-cost machine.

StarchTech packing peanuts can be engineered to maximize the content protection requirements of the merchant and offer exceptional protection for fragile goods such as electronics and odd-shaped products. Depending on the number of trailer loads of EPS peanuts purchased annually, return on investment for the EcoSystem packaging solution from lowered overall costs can be reached in one year or less, says StarchTech.

Because the patented resin is made from plants, not oil, the manufacture of the resin is said to have comparably lower CO2 emissions than EPS packing peanuts—37 lb of CO2 less per cubic meter. For the equivalent volume of 23 trailers of EPS peanuts not manufactured, there is a reduction of 96,388 lb of CO2.

In addition, because one trailer of StarchTech resin pellets replaces 23 trailer loads of EPS peanuts, there are other significant additional environmental and cost savings, including less labor cost, less fuel consumption, and less GHG emissions from engine emissions.

StarchTech starch-based packaging peanuts are BPI-certified compostable to the ASTM 6400 standard and are made from renewable resources.