As we mentioned last time, Custom Boxes Now! is dedicated to using recycled materials to make recyclable materials. We’re certified as a sustainable and earth-friendly business by numerous reputable organizations.
But what does recycling really mean? How big and complex is the recycling industry? And isn’t plastic better for all this? There are many answers to these questions, but the reason we choose paper over plastic or foam or something similar is a simple one, one we’ve mentioned before: sustainability.
Recycling is defined as the reprocessing and reuse of materials. Sustainability is defined as the capacity to endure. By reusing our materials, we increase our capacity to endure. By lengthening the time we have, we are able to recycle better (through technological advancements, social norms shifting to recycling as opposed to direct waste, and so on). The system extends itself in this regard.
We choose paper because modern recycling makes paper easier and easier to recycle. Almost all paper can be recycled, where many types of plastic cannot. This allows our boxes to come from higher-content recycled material, and that means lower business costs for us, which means lower costs for our customers, and that again points to sustainability, both environmental and economical.
Additionally, we do not control how our customers and their customers do away with the custom boxes – many cities and towns have easily-accessible recycling centers, or provide recycling bins to residents and businesses, but not all. If recycling is a burden to them, they may simply discard the shipping boxes. Or, even if mixed in with recyclables, some items may still wind up in landfills, due either to processing error, or simply the local recycling plants’ ability to process various plastics, paper, or other materials. Paper boxes break down and decompose in landfills much faster than plastics. This does not necessarily help keep our costs down, but it does help us lessen the environmental impact we all have.
We choose paper because it makes the most sense for our business. We provide paper packaging for other businesses and their goods and services. Paper keeps our cost and our environmental footprint down, and it helps keep other businesses’ costs and footprints down, too. And whether you use paper or plastic or foam or glass or you string everything up with twine, we encourage recycling and sustainable business processes for you as well. We all help each other sustain.
To learn more about our recycling and sustainability program, contact us at Custom Boxes Now! Also view examples of some of our custom corrugated shipping boxes, and use our Custom Box Configurator to choose the right sustainable shipping boxes for your needs.
