CEPI EUROKRAFT

European Producers of Sack Kraft Paper and Kraft Paper

HANDLING RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR PAPER SACKS

Part 1: Best practice instructions for filling sites

June 2017
HANDLING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PAPER SACKS

INTRODUCTION

Paper sacks are an efficient, effective and sustainable packaging solution for powdered and
loose materials. These characteristics can be further enhanced by the application of best
practices when storing, filling and handling sacks.

This guide is intended to help fillers identify aspects of their operations where they may be able
to improve practices and thereby reduce, or even eliminate, damage to paper sack materials
and filled paper sacks. It provides information about risks at the filling site and their consequences,
and it offers solutions, best practices and instructions for handling industrial paper sacks properly
in order to prevent forklift damage and incorrect palletisation.

Filling Distribution Retail Consumer

Produced by
These handling recommendations are produced by the European Sack Group (ESG),
a collaboration between the organisations CEPI Eurokraft and EUROSAC.

From filling to distribution and retail

The guidelines are divided into two parts in order to address all actors in the paper sack
supply chain who handle filled sacks:

1. Filling site
2. Distribution site and retailer

For advice on handling during distribution and at retail sites, please turn to Part 2 of the
handling recommendations: www.eurosac.org or www.cepi-eurokraft.org.

About the organisations

CEPI Eurokraft is the European Association for Producers of Sack Kraft Paper for the Paper
Sack Industry and Kraft Paper for the Packaging Industry. It has eleven member companies
representing a volume of 2.5 million tonnes of paper produced in twelve countries.
www.cepi-eurokraft.org

EUROSAC is the European Federation of Multiwall Paper Sack Manufacturers. The federation
represents over 75 % of European paper sack manufacturers operating in 20 countries. They
produce more than 5 billion paper sacks every year, converting 650,000 tonnes of paper in
60 plants. www.eurosac.org

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HANDLING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PAPER SACKS

BEST PRACTICE INSTRUCTIONS

FOR FILLING SITES

Filling Distribution Retail Consumer

Storage of paper sacks prior to filling

RISKS CONSEQUENCES SOLUTIONS

• Very low or very high at- • Sack paper properties are • Check with the paper sack
mospheric moisture and/ compromised producer about the storage
or temperatures inside the conditions required for the
storage area particular paper sack
(ESG Food Contact Guide-
line, pages 15–16)

Filling of paper sacks

RISKS CONSEQUENCES SOLUTIONS

• Sacks are packed too loo- • Can cause sacks to sag and • Smaller sack size
sely extend past the edges of • Better deaeration on packer
the pallet • Better sack pressing on
• Can also cause pallets to palletiser
lean over

• Powder spillage and loss • Product loss and process • Use the industry guidelines
during filling operations inefficiency “Dust-free paper sacks” from
• Dusty sacks that are not www.eurosac.org or
good for customer handling www.cepi-eurokraft.org
down the value chain

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HANDLING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PAPER SACKS

Palletisation of filled paper sacks

RISKS CONSEQUENCES SOLUTIONS

• Overhang of sacks on the • Problems during transport • Use a pallet with appropriate
pallet and handling can include dimensions to avoid overhang
pallet instability, sack tears • If possible, use a pallet with
and sack burst the standard dimensions of
1,200 × 800 mm
• If overhang of sacks is una-
voidable, this should never be
more than 2.5 cm
• Splintered or damaged pal- • S acks can be torn • Place a sheet on the pallet
let boards before loading the sacks
• Nails sticking up from the
pallet
• Sacks sagging between the • Sacks can be damaged by • To prevent significant sag-
boards of the pallet surface the forklift tines ging, use only close-boarded
pallets with just a narrow gap
between the boards of the
pallet surface
• Missing, inadequate or poor- • Instability when loading • Do not use pallets with da-
ly spaced stringers (parallel pallets on top of one maged or missing stringers
supporting runners under the another • If unit loads are likely to be
pallet) stacked after filling or in the
downstream supply chain,
consider using block (four-
way) pallets, which have
both parallel and perpendi-
cular stringers
• Inappropriate orientation of •P
 allet instability (the pallet • Use interlocked sack sta-
sacks during palletisation may lean) makes it difficult cking, with sack edges flush
to handle the pallet load with pallet edges, without
with sacks overhang
• Filled sacks slide across one • Instability of the load: • Stabilise the pallet by:
another » T he sacks on the pallet » selecting sacks with anti-
may start sliding slip finishes and/or
» S acks can be damaged » placing slip sheets (paper
during handling and sheets with anti-slip agent)
distribution between the sack layers
and/or
» using spot-glue or adhesive
strips when stacking sacks
on the pallet and/or
» spraying water when
stacking the sacks on the
pallet – this can also im
prove the stability of the
pallet and/or
» applying plastic wrap
around the palletised load
when needed
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HANDLING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PAPER SACKS

Handling of palletised loads

RISKS CONSEQUENCES SOLUTIONS

• Snagging the top layer of • Tearing of the upper surface • If the surface is sticky, apply
the bottommost pallet when of the sacks on the top layer a protective paper sheet to
loading or unloading the of the bottommost pallet the top of the bottom pallet
uppermost pallet (most likely before stacking another
to occur if the sack surface pallet on top of it
is sticky)

• Stacking a pallet on top of a • T his compounds problems of • If a pallet is leaning, do not
leaning pallet instability and can lead to stack another pallet on top
damage and handling diffi- of it
culties in the warehouse and • If it is necessary to stack pal-
for downstream operators lets (e. g. for efficient utilisa-
tion of truck space), ensure
that any leaning pallets are
placed in the upper layer
• Whenever leaning pallets are
encountered, these should
be stabilised by applying
plastic wrap around the unit
load

•  Top surface of a pallet is • Unstable stacks when • Place a slip sheet on top of
slippery pallets are stacked on top the loaded pallet before
of one another another pallet is stacked on
top of it

• Poor operator practices • The most likely forms of • Driver training – as in all forklift
when moving or lifting pal- damage from poor operator operations, the tines should
lets practices are the puncture be inserted into the pallet at
of sacks by forklift tines and the correct points and at the
the snagging of the up- correct height and angle
permost sacks, resulting in
tearing

• Narrow aisles between the • S acks can be hit by forklifts • Make sure aisles have appro-
pallets where sacks are or pallet trolleys during ope- priate widths for the types
stored rations, leading to puncture of forklifts or pallet trolleys in
and tearing of sacks operation at the site

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HANDLING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PAPER SACKS

MORE INFORMATION

For more information on paper sacks or handling

of paper sacks, contact your sack producer or
either of the two organisations below.

CEPI EUROKRAFT
European Producers of Sack Kraft Paper and Kraft Paper

23 rue d’Aumale Box 5515

75009 Paris 114 85 Stockholm
France Sweden

T: +33 1 47 23 75 58 T: +46 8 783 84 85

F: +33 1 47 23 67 53

E: [email protected] E: [email protected]
W: www.eurosac.org W: www.cepi-eurokraft.org

Publication date: June 2017