Recycled Cardboard
Thinking outside the box
Cardboard and recycling go hand in hand. The salvaging and reforming processes have been honed to a fine art over many years and the finished product makes reliable, cost-effective packaging.
As the public grows increasingly concerned about saving the planet, with an international spotlight intensifying on the problems surrounding plastic pollution, recycled cardboard from sustainably managed forests can emerge as a hero of the hour!
Yes, it’s encouraging to see the world stepping boldly towards a truly circular economy. As the strides quicken all sorts of novel, re-imagined ways to use cardboard will emerge. But as the quality of reclaimed materials can fluctuate wildly, it’s vital that cardboard’s cheerleaders and users recognize the necessity for impeccable QA and QC operations
The relationship between cardboard and recycling...
Recycling cardboard offers huge ecological benefits. It takes 75% of the energy needed to make new cardboard, while producing 50% less sulphur dioxide than using fresh wood. You can also recycle really fast: just 14 days to turn a used corrugated cardboard box into a new product.
It goes without saying that recycling and environmentalism are obviously highly importance issues. And they’re also highly fashionable ones- prompted through massive global educational campaigns, in no small part powered by the rise of social media. Yes, fashions come and go. But the omnipresent reminders of growing pollution and climate catastrophe have led to this topic becoming a permanent trend that is only increasing in importance.
There’s a concerted global effort underway to minimize waste and save energy. A push to clean up and take less from the earth. A focus calling on a revolutionary green-eyed approach to the way we make and recycle every packaging type: from metal cans to plastic bottles and even humble cardboard boxes.
But before we look at how cardboard packages are changing to meet the needs of the modern world, let’s take a brief step back in time.
The clear cut benefits of cardboard
The historical record tells us that the Chinese invented paper as long ago as 105 AD! By the early 1600’s, it’s demonstrated that China had extensive knowledge of papermaking, with different varieties available. The country also lays claim to the invention of cardboard, achieved by overlapping pulp layers to create thicker sheets of paper.
Cardboard didn’t arrive on the world stage until around the 17th century. And it wasn’t until the early 19th century that cardboard boxes were first seen in Europe - when the people of Valreas, French made small versions to transport silkworms.
A breakthrough followed in the US in 1879. When a Brooklyn paper factory owner learnt to score a single sheet of cardboard and cut it at the same time. This stopped the need for time-consuming hand -cutting. The flat pieces were folded together and the cardboard box we now know and love, was born.
The stiffness and durability popularized cardboard as a packaging material. It could hold a moderate amount of weight and be formed into different shapes, revolutionizing many industries and enabling companies to transport their wares safely across land and sea at minimal cost.
They say: “If something isn’t broken, don’t fix it,” so the fundamentals of making cardboard packaging have changed little over the years. But given the trend towards environmentalism and sustainability, it’s now increasingly common for cardboard to be manufactured with a large percentage of recycled fibers.
While the fundamentals may change scarcely, numerous trends impact the space – we recently explored these trends in ‘Your guide to quality corrugated’. This guide also offers you best practice insights into the testing applications that will protect your corrugated materials and packaging – you can access this here.
What are the benefits of cardboard recycling?
When you recycle a single ton of cardboard you save:
● Seventeen trees - absorbing 250 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air each year. If burnt, those same trees would emit 1,500 pounds of CO2
● 46 gallons of oil, resulting in 60 pounds less air pollution
● Nine cubic yards of landfill space
● 7000 tons of water.
We’re delighted to see so many companies pursuing the path of least harm. But in chasing the green dream - a balance must be maintained. Sustainable progress shouldn’t come at the expense of protective function.
The recycling boom and pandemic challenges of recent years are pushing organizations to invent new ways to use cardboard even more sustainably and safely. Many novel approaches offer great promise. But, before you say goodbye to existing tried and tested packaging processes, there are some important considerations.
The first corrugated box was manufactured in the United States in 1895. Fast forward 130 years and it’s still growing in popularity. Not only is it cost effective, but when forests are sustainably managed and recycling pushed - it’s environmentally friendly too.
The largest market remains the US, but the fastest growing user is now Asia Pacific. Last year a report by Mordor Intelligence predicted an annual growth rate of 3.43% during the forecast period of 2021-2026. Much of this growth is being driven by the food and beverage and pharmaceutical sectors.
Here’s the best bit. The fibers from corrugated boxes can be used another seven or eight times to make new boxes and paper products! When you consider the low-cost protective qualities, the adaptable scalability of the material, or the branding opportunities that card offers…it’s no wonder it's loved the world over.
But no two boxes are created equal. Differentiating factors include printability and compressive strength. As more companies switch to card - it’s vital they match their enthusiasm with an effective testing protocol that embraces the latest inspection breakthroughs.
New ways to test old favorites!
Testing corrugated packaging is nothing new. For decades we’ve been making devices that deliver everything from burst testing, edge crush or substrate testing, through to puncture and scuff resistance testing. We design machines that maximize the efficacy of cardboard, while using less of it.
New techniques include the SCT and S-Test approaches. This technology needs a small instrument footprint to isolate the crush behavior of the corrugated board components - namely the linerboard and medium.
What’s different about SCT and S-Test equipment? Well, it tests single pieces of paper and board, using integrated clamping systems. Cutting preparation time for faster testing.
You can find out more about the tests we offer to ensure the integrity of your corrugated here!
Making waves with paper!
It’s exciting to observe the groundbreaking developments within paper packaging.
We’ve been getting lots of questions about ‘PaperWave’ lately. An 'inflate-on-demand’ sustainable option that’s made of 100% FSC recycled paper.
It combines the eco-responsible advantages of paper and air filling, using an ultra-thin inner layer of compostable sealant made of a starch blend. This combo doesn’t impact upon the recyclability of the air cushions…offering 100% recycled potential through repulping.
We see the benefits of a lightweight packaging solution made from 95% air and 5% material. Particularly as the materials are completely biodegradable and compostable.
Our customers need accurate, reliable testing instruments to better understand new mediums. For confidence that they will provide the damage protecting, contaminant resistant qualities that more traditional options offer. To ensure there’s no unexpected surprises down the line.
Considering giving new inventions like PaperWave a try? When making any change to the packaging you use, we recommend you invest in solid testing devices. Solutions that simulate real world conditions and the trials of your supply chain.
You need to work out if your goods are safe from drops from height, or compression during storage. And put samples through tear and falling dart impact testing to see if they offer the right strength and structure.
Perhaps you want to understand the water vapor permeability of the air pillows and the starch-blend inner layer components. Or collect precise moisture measurements to see how increasingly eco-friendly options react if your products leak, or when exposed to environmental contaminants. While pressure decay leak testing will show you how air-filled pillows hold up over time and how long they maintain their protective capability.
The global pandemic has pushed safety and hygiene up as a major packaging concern for consumers.. To help to prevent the transmission of pathogens, kill bacteria and slow down the growth of mold, one response for business is packaging that releases antimicrobials.
Astonishingly, the growing antimicrobial packaging market is forecasted to be valued at nearly $12 billion by 2024, a whopping growth rate of half a billion dollars a year!
Antimicrobials can be added to most packaging materials. The cardboard manufacturing and print industry will play a key role fighting the spread of infection through the use of antimicrobial films, paper and the coating of cardboard parcels.
But it’s not only the health concerns that are driving this growth. Sustainability is also a key factor.
Protect against pathogens and environmental contaminants and you boost shelf life, keeping foodstuffs or pharmaceutical products fresher for longer. This creates a twofold ecological bonus: firstly there’s less spoiled product waste; secondly, there’s a reduction in packaging waste with fewer unsold products thrown away.
Antimicrobial packaging has a bright future. But as it’s still in its infancy the technology needs to be tested and refined. Further development will optimize the antimicrobial efficiency of existing packaging types, develop new approaches and check the safety of their commercial applications.
Make sure that your choice of antimicrobial additives compliment the packaging systems you work with.
Leak testing will help you to understand if the cardboard you use has the structural integrity you need. So that you can separate your products and antimicrobial additives from environmental contamination. While effective permeation testing will determine how a liquid, gas or vapor moves through the material membranes of the packaging solution you are exploring.
Whether you use plain or corrugated cardboard in your packages, no matter how flexible or rigid your choice, Industrial Physics can provide you with reliable testing and inspection solutions you need.
Our instruments can measure more than 50 discrete properties based on international testing standards. There’s not much about cardboard testing we don’t understand. We’ve specialized in the design and manufacture of testing instruments for pulp, paper and packaging industries for almost 100 years.