Sustainable Packaging Facts

Concerns about packaging sustainability are not new, but they have recently been amplified with research on the lasting impacts of single use plastic and the drastic spike in online ordering during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When you are creating packaging using paperboard, you can rest assured it is sustainable. Paperboard is a thick paper substrate made from virgin hardwood, softwood, kraft fibers, and/or recycled fibers, often with a clay-coated surface for high quality printing. It is used in food, beverage, and consumer good packaging. And because it’s made from paper, it makes it a renewable resource. Not only can paperboard be recycled, but new trees are planted every year to replenish the source.

You can be proud to rely on paperboard as your packaging material of choice. Following are some impressive facts to prove it.

Paperboard Packaging Sustainability Facts

Many industry-leading associations keep track of the sustainability of paper, paperboard, and corrugated paperboard (known to most as cardboard), share best practices, and encourage continued improvement.

RECYCLING

· According to the Paperboard Packaging Council, paperboard is the most easily recyclable packaging substrate in the marketplace.

· According to the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), recycled paper can be reused 5 to 7 times to make new paper and cardboard products.

· The U.S. paper recycling rate has met or exceeded 63% since 2009, thanks to AF&PA efforts to produce more sustainable paper products, increase the availability of community recycling, and educate consumers about the importance and ease of paper recycling. 

·  The Recycled Paperboard Alliance works with Consumer Packaged Goods (CPGs) companies to certify recycled fiber, specifically 100% coated and uncoated recycled paperboard. The RPA-100% is an independent non-profit organization that establishes and manages a protocol for the recycled paperboard industry and provides the certification for any product with the symbol for Certified 100% Recycled Paperboard.

TREE PLANTING

· According to the U.S. Forest Service, more than 1 billion trees are planted in the United States each year. 

· Certified tree farms are the source of most virgin paperboard, not U.S. forests. Certified tree farms follow land management practices geared toward social, economic, and environmental sustainability.

· For every tree harvested from a managed tree farm (and milled for paper), five more are planted, adding 1.7 million trees every day, according to AF&PA.

SUSTAINABILITY GOALS

· In June 2021, AF&PA announced the launch of Better Practices, Better Planet 2030: Sustainable Products for a Sustainable Future. This initiative includes five sustainability goals: reducing greenhouse gas emissions; advancing a circular value chain through the production of renewable and recyclable products; striving for zero workplace injuries; driving water stewardship throughout manufacturing operations; and more resilient U.S. forests.

· International Paper is one of the world’s leading producers of fiber-based packaging, pulp, and paper. Their Vision 2030 initiative aligns with the United Nations’s Sustainable Development Goals. Vision 2030 goals include achieving 100% of their fiber coming from sustainably managed forests or recovered fiber while safeguarding forests, watersheds, and biodiversity and conserving and restoring 1 million acres of ecologically significant forestland. They also aim to create innovative products that are 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable – all while improving workplace safety, carbon emissions, water use, and supporting safe and diverse workforces.

As a full-service trade printer and binder, Phillips Graphic Finishing works regularly with paper and paperboard products. We are proud to be part of an industry that uses recyclable and renewable products, naturally. Whether it is folding cartons, sleeves, wraps, marketing materials, or countertop point of purchase displays, we offer the quality, service, and price you are looking for. Starting a new project? Request a quote to see how we can help.