Public concerns over plastic packaging have been growing immensely over the few years. Sustainability in consumer packaging is driving major changes in the industry. Corporations are becoming more conscious about their packaging supplies. The use of double wall cardboard boxes, corrugated boxes, and Kraft paper rolls are becoming universally accepted forms of packaging.
From the 1970s, when plastic became highly popular among the masses, it has been mass-produced and accepted for decades. But in the last few years, paper packaging and cardboard packaging are taking over the market for good.
Benefits of cardboard packaging over plastic bags
Recyclability
One of the primary reasons why plastic could overtake the market was due to its durable qualities, as it could last forever. However, this is also the biggest and most concerning disadvantage of plastic—the fact that it is non-biodegradable and can remain for decades!
This is where cardboard packaging wins. Cardboard is made of timbre, which is a renewable source. It is highly recyclable, and the U.K has one the highest cardboard recyclability rate in the world.
This helps to minimise the enormous waste that is dumped in landfills and oceans.
Protection of products
Cardboard and plastic both offer outstanding product protection. It can provide high load capabilities, temperature change, and usually not expensive to produce.
However, to produce recyclable plastic, you have to use a different composition which can be an expensive and time-consuming process.
Environment pollution
Plastic waste is one of the crucial environmental pollution problems. Most plastic wastes are deposited in the oceans, which causes the death of hundreds of marine animals every year.
On the other hand, cardboard boxes can simply be shredded into little pieces and composted right in your garden!
The manufacturing
Cardboard is made from paper pulp. Corrugated cardboard is developed from three layers of paper rolls; one is fluted and glued between the other two sheets.
In the UK, a significant portion of fibres used in making these papers are derived from papers collected for recycling (around 70%). The remaining amount (30%) comes from pine pulps.
Plastic is derivative from fossil fuels which is a non-renewable source of energy. Simply speaking, it involves a long process of chemical bonding of oil and gas molecules. These are heated and shaped into bottles, packaging bags, and other industry needs.
Consumer awareness of product packaging is bringing change
Widespread use of single-use plastic packaging materials has resulted in tormenting environmental damage, and the world is facing a waste management crisis. A large amount of plastic packaging cannot be recycled in these existing systems. Multi-material packaging, for instance, is a grave threat and an unresolved issue in the recycling industry.
According to a study by Science Advances in 2017, it stated: “ of the 8.3bn tonnes of virgin plastic produced worldwide, only 9% has been recycled.”
In countries like the United States, the recycling rate is very low as opposed to using. For example, there are only 28% recovery rates for packaging and food-service plastics around the US.
A massive chunk of plastics that ends up in landfills breaks down into smaller pieces. When mixed with water, it slowly starts releasing toxins. Another half of it, which ends up in the ocean, percolates through the water to create a poisonous liquid called “leachate.” Marine animals like birds, turtles, and fishes mistake these plastics as food items and end up swallowing them. The indigestible plastics end up in their stomach and eventually starves them to death.
Need for a sustainable choice
Cardboard boxes have always been a wise choice due to their sustainability, strength, flexibility, and product protection properties. An increasing number of brands are now opting for eco-friendly packaging supplies to create a positive brand image. Cardboard packaging is becoming THE packaging choice across the globe in the food and drinks industry, e-commerce sector, electronic companies, to name a few.
So, if you are still working with plastic packaging, it’s time to switch. Contact a trustworthy packaging supplier like Wellpack Europe to buy cardboard boxes and other packaging materials for your products. They have a wide range of supplies that suits any industry’s needs.