For the applicable glass-bottle shipping configuration, we arrange bottles in controlled layers, use cardboard cells and layers for separation and support, build the stack to the planned transport height and secure the completed load with plastic film. Compared with our previous carton-intensive route for the same applicable configuration, this UGI Packging method reduced paper use by 80%.

The figure is our first-party comparison between those two routes. It is not an industry average and does not mean every bottle, destination or handling system can use the same arrangement without verification.

The problem with the previous route

Our previous configuration relied more heavily on individual or small-group cartons around glass bottles. Those cartons organised the shipment, but they also increased paper consumption across a full transport load. We wanted to reduce that paper without pretending the bottles no longer required separation, load control or route-specific protection.

What we changed

1. We arrange the bottles in a controlled layer based on the applicable bottle and transport configuration.
2. Cardboard cells and layers separate, organise and support the bottles while limiting direct glass-to-glass contact.
3. We repeat the bottle-and-cardboard sequence until the planned transport height is reached.
4. The assembled stack is secured with plastic film for shipment preparation.

Previous route and current route

The change reduced reliance on cartons; it did not remove the need for protective structure or route validation.

What did not disappear

Cardboard remains because bottle separation and layer support are still necessary. Plastic film also remains because it secures the completed stack. We therefore describe the result as a reduction in paper use—not as paper-free, plastic-free or automatically recyclable packaging.

Reducing cartons does not remove the need to check compression, vibration, impact, pallet handling, humidity, rubbing and decoration damage for the actual shipping route.

Why the same route cannot be assigned to every bottle

Bottle geometry, base stability, neck projection, glass weight and surface decoration change the protection requirement. A divider designed around one cylindrical bottle may not control an irregular perfume bottle, a coated cosmetic bottle or a surface vulnerable to rubbing. Warehouse handling and the buyer’s filling or decoration operation also affect whether organised layers can be received safely.