Is my packaging good for the environment, strong, and sustainable?
Yes, paper-based packaging can deliver on all three criteria.
The challenge before us is to create packaging that is the right-size, renewable, and recyclable.
Sustainability is an important part of our company’s DNA—Our customers’ demands for sustainability continue to drive the need for packaging that is made from renewable resources, is recyclable, and compostable. Achieving customers' sustainability goals and meeting performance expectations is an undertaking that requires collaboration and innovative thinking.
Wood fiber is inherently well suited to the “circular economy” due to its renewable nature and ease of recyclability. However, paper fibers are not infinitely recyclable. Without the addition of virgin fiber into the manufacture of paper, recycled fibers eventually become too small to make more paper.
We work to ensure that packaging is sustainable through recycling and designing fiber-based solutions that help customers remove plastics from their supply chain. We are committed to sustainability.
The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) announced that 65.7 percent of paper consumed in the United States was recycled in 2020. U.S. mill consumption of old corrugated containers (OCC) reached a record level in 2020 of 22.8 million tons. The recycling rate for OCC was 88.8 percent, and the three-year average was 92.4 percent.
“In an unprecedented and dynamic year defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, almost two-thirds of paper was recycled and transformed into new sustainable paper products,” said AF&PA President and CEO Heidi Brock. “The resilience and commitment of our industry is notable, as is engagement of consumers in the paper recycling process. The result is a consistent and high rate for paper recycling.”
Resilient U.S. Paper Industry Maintains High Recycling Rate in 2020 - The American Forest & Paper Association
