Why Having Boxes Corrugated Is Better for the Environment

Today’s consumers are highly discerning about the products they buy. Not only are they concerned about getting value for their money, they also want to know about the values of the business they are patronizing. From social to environmental policies, consumers want to be assured that their money is going to organizations that care about the well being of all.

The packaging that businesses use may seem like a small issue, but it can have a significant effect on the environment. From the amount of plastics forming islands and floating about the ocean, to the aluminum in cans that is strip-mined, causing serious environmental devastation, the impact has been huge. About half of the world’s waste has been attributed to packaging materials.

Choosing packaging materials that do not lay such a heavy burden on the environment is important.  Not only will it mean better preserving nature, but it also helps to give the business a better reputation. Boxes made of cardboard are a great choice because of several reasons.

Strength

Despite being lightweight, cardboard is a strong material that can be reliably used to carry heavy items. Its tensile strength is easily seen when looking at corrugated and heavy-duty boxes. This benefit is great for the environment as it reduces reliance on more damaging packaging materials like plastics. Plastics are strong but use a lot of energy to manufacture and take too long to decompose. Wood boxes are also a good alternative but are much heavier and use up much more raw material to manufacture.

Durability

While cardboard is indeed a paper material, when processed into thick and multilayered sheets, it becomes a much stronger and long-lasting packaging material. When you have boxes corrugated this way, they increase their tensile strength and become capable of carrying heavy items comfortably. This durability helps encourage re-use, meaning people do not have to keep buying new boxes when the old ones are still sound enough to be utilized. This places less demand for raw materials to make new boxes.

Recycling

Cardboard is a highly recyclable material. When you have boxes corrugated, the thick sheets of paper can still be reprocessed to make new packaging materials. This reduces the need to source for wood to make the paper that is processed into the cardboard. It reduces the over reliance on nature as old waste is converted to make new packaging instead. Recycled paper is also more energy-efficient, requiring as much as 70% less energy to make new products than when processing new wood.