Why are more and more brands switching from plastic to pulp tray for inner packaging

In the past two years, a clear trend has been for brands to quietly replace plastic inner trays in packaging with paper plastic. Not a grand promotion, but a silent switch. The reason behind it is not 'environmental correctness', but a calculated account.
Calculate an account
             Plastic tray,                                           pulp tray
Mold cost 3000-8000 yuan                              2000-5000 yuan
Minimum order quantity    1000 pieces,            500 pieces
Single product cost 0.3-0.8 yuan                        0.4-1.0 yuan
Unpacking texture, cheap plastic feel,               warm and natural feel
Environmentally friendly, non degradable,         100% biodegradable

The item is 1-2 cents more expensive, but the mold is cheaper, the minimum order quantity is lower, and the unboxing experience is better. For products with a unit price of over 100 yuan, this 1-2 cents is exchanged for the comment section stating 'the packaging is very textured'.
Comparison of texture between paper and plastic inner trays

Three real-life scenarios
Scenario 1- Beauty device brand, unit price 899 yuan. After replacing the paper plastic inner tray, the spontaneous dissemination rate of unboxing videos increased fourfold. It's not what they requested - it's the packaging itself that makes the customer feel 'this is worth photographing'.
Scenario 2- Smart ring brand, with a product diameter of only 18mm. The slot tolerance of the paper plastic inner support is ± 0.2mm, and the ring remains unchanged when placed inside. The previous vacuum formed inner tray had a clearance of 0.8mm, and the customer reported that the ring was shaking when picked up.
Scenario Three - Tea Gift Box, with a unit price of 398 yuan per customer. Switching from cardboard and silk fabric to pure white paper plastic integrated molding saves 3 processes, reduces packaging costs by 15%, and actually improves texture.


Is your product suitable for replacement? Three conditions
1. If the unit price of the product exceeds 100 yuan, the cost of each product will increase by 1-2 cents, and the return will be texture and reputation
2. Customers will touch the packaging - both online express unpacking and offline store display are counted
3. Want to add some real content to the ESG report - '100% biodegradable packaging' is more convincing than 'we focus on environmental protection'

Most brands are not unwilling to change, but are unsure if their products are suitable for pulp tray. Products of different materials, shapes, and weights have completely different requirements for the inner support. Instead of researching on your own, it's better to send over the drawings - you can determine whether it can be done and how much it costs in just a few minutes.

Send me the drawings to help you see if your product is suitable for switching to pulp tray. Free evaluation, even if it's not suitable, I will say it directly.