Paper Shred Basket Fillers: Good, Better & Best

We have several options for enhancing presentations with color and texture, so we thought it might be helpful to compare the different types of paper shreds and fillers Nashville Wraps offers.

Let’s begin with a little information about paper shreds in general. Unless you are making a small presentation like the one pictured below, Shreds are great for adding color and texture but are generally not a good support for your product.

Our Eco-Fill shreds, Crinkle Cut™ paper shreds and VeryFine Cut™ paper shreds will support product, but it is more economical to use crunched up kraft paper in the bottom of your basket or box, then add shreds to the top to “dress up” the presentation. The same applies to tissue shreds – they are pretty and available in many color choices, but are too soft to support any weight.

Our newest, the Green Way® Eco-Fill shred is my favorite of the crinkly types. These shreds are produced from paper made in the USA at the 140-year-old, family-run French Paper Mill in Niles, Michigan. Not only is the paper 100% recycled, but the mill itself is “off the grid” – completely water-powered, producing its own electricity from the nearby St. Joseph River. Even the discharge from the mill is cleaner than the water in the river! This mill was green before green was cool, thus earning the shred special recognition as a Green Way® brand product.

Made from heavier-weight paper than Crinkle Cut™, Eco-Fill will support more weight. While not as “ziggy” as Crinkle Cut™, Eco-Fill shreds are easier to scrunch into shape. I have found that Eco-Fill shreds hold together better and are less messy than Crinkle Cut™ (about the same as tissue shreds). I took 1 pound each of Eco-Fill, Crinkle Cut™, VeryFine Cut™ and Tissue, and fluffed them up. You can see the comparison below. The lightweight tissue shreds make a bigger pile, but will not support as much weight as the other three.

Crinkle Cut™ paper shreds are very springy with a fun texture. They are available in small 8 oz packages for the small business that might not have room for a 10 pound box. Trust me, that box is big! There are more color choices in Crinkle Cut™ than Eco-Fill shreds or VeryFine™ Cut. They support almost as much weight as Eco-Fill, but neither will support as much as VeryFine Cut™.

VeryFine Cut™ is shredded and not folded. It mats together, forming a nest around your product. For this reason, it is good at holding things in place, but will not eliminate the need for tape or glue dots. It holds together better when transferring from the box to your basket so you end up with less mess. VeryFine Cut™ has a nice color selection but not as many choices as Crinkle Cut™.

Tissue shreds are soft and sweet for baby baskets. They are strictly used to add color and help coordinate with your packaging. You get lots of bang for your buck because they fluff up to make a BIG pile of filler. Again, Tissue Shreds will not support weight. They are easy to tuck in and around product in a basket and to fill up empty spaces because it stays where you put it. They also have the least number of color choices of the paper shreds. Available in 1 lb. bags or 3.5 lb boxes, Tissue Shreds are made in the USA of 100% recycled materials.

I hope this information will help you decide which basket filler is best for your needs. If you have questions that were not answered, post a comment and we will try to find an answer for you.

Watch Kathy’s Video on “How to Use Gift Basket Fillers”

More Gift Basket Supplies