Environmental Benefits of Corrugated Packaging

Environmental Benefits of Corrugated Packaging

Corrugated packaging is by far the best option if you are looking for a solution that is kind to the environment. Aside from its benefits as a versatile and robust packaging option, it is also material that is sustainably produced, highly recyclable and possibly the most reusable material in the world.

The environmental benefits of corrugated packaging

Corrugated cardboard is made from wood pulp – usually birch or pine. The pulp usually also contains a high percentage of recycled material. Since the fibreboard is made without dyes or bleaches, it is both highly recyclable, making it very easy to dispose or reuse. Birch and pine trees grow easily in many different types of environments and are harvested sustainably.

Aside from the high sustainability of the resources used in their production, corrugated boxes double their environmental benefits by being easily recoverable and reusable. Cardboard boxes are capable of being endlessly repurposed, leading to less waste. Even when further reuse becomes impossible, the cardboard can easily be recycled and used to make more corrugated boxes. The recovery rate of old corrugated boxes is somewhere around 90%. There are few, if any, other products that can boast recovery rates anywhere near that figure.

Five reasons why corrugated packaging is the sustainable choice

To sum it up, corrugated packaging has five benefits that make it an extremely favourable choice for companies looking to lower their carbon footprint, even as they increase their production:

• They reuse wasted paper: Corrugated fibreboard is made of varying proportions of waste paper material. Wood chips and other side products of the paper production process can be used in the production of cardboard. Corrugated boxes are thus a great means of reducing waste in the paper industry.
• They contain recycled material and can be repeatedly recycled in turn: In addition to using up waste material that would otherwise just be thrown away, cardboard can itself be recycled after use to produce new boxes.
• They are endlessly reusable: Even if you decide not to recycle boxes, you can simply use them again – over and over, reducing the demand for new boxes. Most corrugated boxes are actually designed for reuse.
• They are produced from renewable and well-managed resources.
• They help to save energy: Due to the relatively high proportion of corrugated elements that go into their production, corrugated boxes require less energy to make.
• They encourage efficiency: Corrugated boxes, especially ones that are right-sized to fit particular products, foster efficient packing and transport by minimising wasted space in storage and packing, helping your logistics department to maximise their loads. The result is not only cost reduction, but also heightened efficiency and a lowering of your company’s carbon footprint.

These factors make corrugated cardboard an incredibly sustainable and eco-friendly packaging solution, in addition to all its other benefits.

NPP is Ireland’s leading packaging supplier, providing customised and sustainable packaging solutions to industries across the country. From basic tertiary packaging to specially designed e-commerce packaging. Contact us for more information.