PSA Tapes: A Holiday Miracle Worth Celebrating

At a time of year when many care more about giving than receiving, we would like to talk about all the different ways pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes give back to the people and businesses who use them most.

What better way than to talk about the most popular holiday-related tape there is – packing tape! With the rise of e-commerce over the last decade, PSA tapes used for packaged goods are a big part of why economists predict global demand for pressure sensitive adhesive tape will exceed 53 billion square meters by 2020.

So before you rip open your online orders or hand-packed presents sent from loved ones, take a second to reflect on how PSA tapes help make gift-giving possible.

Sealing in the magic

While we understand that the holidays are all about enjoying the simple things – a cup of hot chocolate, fresh white snow, the way your dog looks in his Christmas sweater – don’t overlook the interplay between PSA tapes and the corrugated cardboard packages they stick to.

New and recycled corrugated packaging have completely different surface profiles, which means they often require tapes with different adhesive qualities. Whereas the fibers in new corrugated boxes are long and allow for a strong bond even when tapes have average to low tack, recycled corrugated materials have much finer, smaller fibers because of the repulping process. As a result, PSA tapes applied to recycled corrugated require higher tack.

Handle with care

In 2015, the United States Postal Service alone delivered more than 15 billion pieces of mail during the holiday season. Of that, 600 million packages went out in the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve – presumably with PSA tape on each one.

But PSA tapes aren’t just on the outside of the packages crisscrossing the continent this holiday season – they’re inside a lot of consumer goods and play major roles in manufacturing and distribution processes as well. Why? Because PSA tapes are a low-cost, highly effective method for preserving product integrity during shipment.

Purchasing electronic goodies this year? PSA tapes hold circuitry and other components permanently in place. What about kitchen appliances? Pressure sensitive protective films stop scratches from marring displays and accent materials like wood paneling in transit. ABI Tape products like ProtectRite and AutoWrap even keep bugs, debris, dirt and acid rain from damaging the interiors and exteriors of new cars as they’re transported from automakers to dealers nationwide.

Unwrapping the joy

Your much-anticipated holiday package has arrived on your doorstep, and now there’s nothing separating you from its contents except for a few strips of tape.

Here’s something to consider: Have you ever peeled back PSA tape from a package only to find the tape took a layer of corrugated cardboard with it? That may not be a testament to the strength of the tape’s cohesion. It may, in fact, be an example of user error.

As John Johnston, technical advisor for the Pressure Sensitive Tape Council, explains, “cardboard delamination” occurs when a person removing tape pulls against the grain of those cardboard fibers we mentioned earlier. If that person tested the tape by peeling back its edges in different directions, they can easily spot which direction they should be pulling to do the least damage to the box.

We know you’re eager to get at what’s inside, but a little experimenting never hurt anyone. Challenge yourself to achieve the cleanest peel possible the next time you receive a package in the mail.

This year, don’t breeze through the holidays in a whirlwind of peppermint and pine needles. Let something as small as a strip of PSA tape help you stop and enjoy the little surprises worth appreciating this season.

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