What Is Void Fill Packaging? How to Choose the Right Solution for Your Products
A carton can look perfectly packed leaving your warehouse and still arrive damaged. Here is the thing: the problem usually isn’t the carton. It’s what happens inside it. Every unfilled space gives a product room to move during handling and transport — impacts, abrasion, broken components, damaged presentation, especially across multiple freight points. So before you reach for more tape, ask what’s actually moving inside that box.
What Does Void Fill Actually Need to Do?
Void fill is protective packaging placed into empty spaces inside a carton to restrict product movement and protect goods in transit. Common eco friendly void fill options include kraft paper, honeycomb paper, air pillows and biodegradable loose fill — each suited to a different risk.
What if filling the space is only one part of the job? Depending on what you’re shipping, protective packaging may need to do four different things:
- Void filling occupies unused carton space.
- Blocking and bracing helps stop products moving.
- Cushioning helps protect against shock and impact.
- Wrapping protects surfaces from rubbing and abrasion.
So the starting question shouldn’t be “which material is cheapest” — it should be “what are we protecting this product from.” That distinction prevents both underpacking and unnecessary material use.
Why Is Void Fill Important?
Products rarely get a smooth ride. Cartons are picked, stacked, transferred and delivered — excess space inside means room to shift. Void fill restricts that movement while adding protection where needed.
- Less movement
- Less abrasion
- Better presentation
- Fewer returns
But wait — there’s another side to this. Australia’s domestic reprocessing capacity for packaging reached 52% of everything placed on market in 2023–24, up from 49%. 👉 APCO Now, that upward trend is exactly why selecting eco friendly void fill is increasingly relevant for your packaging footprint.
Kraft Paper Void Fill: Strong, Simple and Versatile
Kraft paper is one of the most practical forms of eco void fill, particularly where products need stronger blocking and bracing. Paper void fill machines convert flat kraft paper into a three-dimensional structure that occupies space and cushions.
Gateway’s V-Shaped Kraft Paper Void Fill Machine suits rapid void filling, while the Padded Kraft Paper Cushioning Machine produces a denser structure for demanding cushioning. Both run on Gateway’s compatible fan-fold kraft paper, so consumable and machine operate as one system.
Paper has an established recovery stream here — APCO reports 66% of paper and paperboard packaging was recovered in 2023–24, well ahead of most other materials, though still short of what’s possible. 👉 APCO
4. Honeycomb Paper: When Surface Protection Matters
Sometimes filling the carton isn’t enough. A finished component, glass bottle, ceramic product or premium retail item needs protection around its actual surface, not just space around it.
Gateway’s eco-friendly void fill range covers this with a Honeycomb Paper Dispenser, a Honeycomb Paper with Interleaf Roll Dispenser, and an Automatic Honeycomb and Interleaf Roll Machine for higher volumes. This is where choosing eco-friendly void fill packaging by application, not habit, matters more than swapping one material for another. If scratching and presentation are the real risk, wrapping beats filling.
5. Air Pillows: Fill More Space Without Adding Much Weight
Large empty spaces around lightweight products are a different problem entirely — this is where air pillow systems make sense. Instead of storing bulky pre-made cushioning, compact film rolls inflate at the packing station as needed.
Gateway’s Air Cushion Machine range spans the 400mm system through to the 800mm system (up to 18 metres a minute), plus the compact Opus Mini Air Pillow Machine.
Later, when volumes climb, that on-demand inflation matters more than the storage space it frees up today. Air pillows aren’t automatic for every product, though — heavy industrial components put more pressure on cushioning than a light consumer item and converted kraft paper often suits those better.
6. What About Biodegradable Void Fill?
Businesses specifically looking for biodegradable void fill have loose-fill alternatives too. Gateway’s Bio-Fill Void Fill fills irregular spaces and sits within Gateway’s compostable packaging range — particularly useful where product shapes make paper conversion or air pillows impractical.
So wait — “biodegradable” shouldn’t be the only purchasing criterion. Protection comes first. If inadequate cushioning gets a product damaged, replaced and reshipped, the packaging saving from biodegradable void fill has achieved very little. Assess it as part of the whole system: protection, material use, disposal pathway and labour, together.
7. How Do You Choose the Right Eco Friendly Void Fill?
Don’t start with the machine. Start at the packing bench. Look at what operators actually pack and ask: how heavy is it, what damage occurs, how much empty space remains, how many cartons move daily, and how much time goes into preparing packaging.
That last question deserves attention. Safe Work Australia’s manual tasks guidance names repetitive movement, force and awkward posture as hazardous-task risk factors — body-stressing claims carry a median 9.2 weeks off work. 👉 Safe Work Australia Manual dispensers suit lower volumes; higher throughput is where automated eco void fill systems earn their keep.
8. Sustainable Doesn’t Mean “Use Less at Any Cost”
There’s an easy mistake in the shift toward eco-friendly void fill: treating “less material” as the objective. It isn’t. The objective is eliminating unnecessary packaging while keeping the protection that’s actually needed.
Australia’s packaging reform program specifically targets waste minimisation, better design, recyclability and recycled content. 👉 APCO So the strongest eco friendly void fill packaging strategy weighs the whole process — protection, carton right-sizing, material choice, recyclability, storage and damage rates — not just whether the material sounds green.
| Void fill solution | Best suited to | Main purpose | Gateway example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kraft Paper | Kraft Paper: Heavy, fragile or irregular products | Kraft Paper: Blocking, bracing and cushioning | Kraft Paper: V-Shaped Kraft Paper Void Fill Machine |
| Air Pillows | Air Pillows: Lightweight products with larger carton voids | Air Pillows: Lightweight space filling | Air Pillows: Air Cushioning Machine range |
| Honeycomb Paper | Honeycomb Paper: Fragile, finished or presentation-sensitive products | Honeycomb Paper: Wrapping, separation and surface protection | Honeycomb Paper: Honeycomb Paper Dispenser |
| Protective Pouches | Protective Pouches: Smaller delicate products and components | Protective Pouches: Individual product protection | Protective Pouches: Protective packaging solutions |
| Bio-Fill / Loose Fill | Bio-Fill / Loose Fill: Irregular products and difficult-to-reach carton spaces | Bio-Fill / Loose Fill: Filling gaps and restricting movement | Bio-Fill / Loose Fill: Bio-Fill Void Fill -400L Bag |
| Padded Kraft Paper | Padded Kraft Paper: Fragile or heavier products requiring greater protection | Padded Kraft Paper: Impact cushioning | Padded Kraft Paper: Padded Kraft Paper Cushioning Machine |
Key Takeaways
- Match void fill to the actual damage risk — movement, impact or abrasion — not the cheapest roll.
- Right-size the carton before adding more eco-friendly void fill.
- Biodegradable void fill still needs to protect the product first, sustainability second.
- Packing time and repetitive strain are part of the true cost of any eco void fill system.
Key Statistics
- Domestic packaging reprocessing capacity: 52% of all packaging placed on market in 2023–24, up from 49%. 👉 APCO
- Paper and paperboard recovery rate: 66% in 2023–24 — the strongest major material group. 👉 APCO
- Body-stressing workers’ compensation claims carry a median 9.2 weeks off work. 👉 Safe Work Australia
So where does that leave your packing bench? There isn’t one universally “best” eco-friendly void fill — it depends on product weight, fragility, remaining carton space and packing speed. Most operations end up running two or three types side by side.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is void fill packaging used for?
Void fill packaging restricts product movement inside a carton during handling and transport, reducing impact damage, abrasion and returns caused by empty space.
What’s the most eco friendly void fill option?
It depends on the product. Kraft paper and honeycomb paper are recyclable and biodegradable; biodegradable void fill loose-fill suits irregular shapes; air pillows reduce storage waste through on-demand inflation.
Is biodegradable void fill as protective as plastic alternatives?
Often yes, for the right application — but protection should always be tested against the actual product and transit risk before biodegradable void fill replaces an existing material.
How do I choose between kraft paper, honeycomb paper and air pillows?
Match the material to the risk: blocking and bracing suits kraft paper, surface protection suits honeycomb paper, and large lightweight voids suit air pillows.
Choose a Void Fill System Around the Product
There isn’t one universally “best” void fill. Now, bringing this back to your floor: If we match the eco friendly void fill packaging to the actual product — not habit — kraft paper, honeycomb, air cushioning and biodegradable void fill each earn their place for different jobs.
Gateway Packaging’s Eco-Friendly Void Fill range brings these together — kraft paper machines, fan-fold paper, honeycomb systems, air cushioning machines and Bio-Fill. If your operators are over-filling cartons or still seeing inconsistent protection, don’t just swap the consumable. Review the packing process itself.
Not sure which void fill system suits your product mix? Talk to Gateway Packaging about matching the right eco friendly void fill to your cartons, products and daily throughput.