Corrugated is one of the most sustainable packaging materials available.

As its popularity continues to rise, along with other paper-based packaging materials, it made us consider how we support this and, more importantly, how we can support other businesses in the paper, corrugated and packaging industry to understand its benefits and place in 21^st century business operations.

Frank Hay, our Group Managing Director, looks at how corrugated supports sustainability, how consumer demand and expectation is driving businesses to make more responsible choices, and how the paper industry is continuing to innovate and collaborate to support a sustainable future for us all.

Where it all began

Corrugated is not a new packaging material. Indeed, the first patent on corrugated cardboard construction was granted in England in 1856 when Edward Healy and Edward Allen created the fluted material to put inside top hats to make them sturdier and more comfortable to wear. But it wasn’t until 1871 that Albert Jones used the fluting as protective packaging, and not until 1894 when corrugated boxes were first used in the USA.

Since then, the manufacturing of corrugated board in the UK has been handled by iconic industry names and, in the last forty years Board24, has operated sites at Coalville, Preston and Eurocentral. The latter opened just a few months ago, having transferred operations from Larkhall, where board had been produced for almost 30 years, to our new, state of the art £25m facility.

Today, our three sites combined produce over 500 million square meters of corrugated products each year in support of the UK&I sheet plant and trade businesses.

Supporting sustainability

This highlights just how popular corrugated board and packaging is, why corrugated supports sustainability goals for business, and why more and more businesses are making the switch to corrugated.

It is a sustainable choice for many reasons:  

• It’s renewable – Paper is made from renewable raw materials derived from sustainably managed forests
• It’s bio-degradable – Whilst we encourage recycling through appropriate channels it is completely bio-degradable should it end up in landfill
• It’s lightweight – This can save on transportation costs, especially when its right-sized design
• It’s recyclable – There’s not many materials that can claim they are 100%recyclable! And over 80% of cardboard used in the UK is recycled.

Furthermore, the production of corrugated board uses sustainable components. The paper we purchase comes from responsibly managed sources for virgin pulp and from recycled content.  The starch we use, to adhere the papers and fluting together is bio-degradable and water based.

Coupled with a wide variety of paper types, and therefore board grades, the possibilities are endless in terms of how the corrugated board we make is then processed through sheet plants to continue its sustainable journey through the supply chain.

Making responsible choices

The team at Board24 is not just here to supply board; we are here to advise customers on how to make more responsible choices by offering a wider range of paper and fluting combinations.

This allows our customers to optimise the performance of their packaging, reducing the amount of paper fibre required to achieve the required strength and aesthetic requirements of every packaging solution.

Further down the chain, our sheet plant customers are advising their customers how to remove hard to recycle materials from their packaging, and create innovative designs to replace those materials with corrugated, helping businesses to elevate their sustainability portfolio and meet their customer expectations.

Innovation and collaboration

Those customer expectations, both of our customers and their customers, require innovation and collaboration to keep moving the industry forward and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to success.

The possibilities for utilising corrugated in sustainable packaging helps businesses to outline and achieve 21^st century visions and strategies such as lowering carbon footprints, choosing products with renewable or sustainable supply chains and meeting ESG goals to ensure business operations are accountable, measurable and responsible.

A sustainable future

Corrugated is undoubtedly a paper-based packaging material that will shape the future of packaging.

 Whilst the reason for this is multi-faceted, key strategies that will deliver a sustainable future for corrugated are:

• Continued promotion of a circular economy to encourage recycling, reuse and upcycling.
• Optimised packaging to reduce waste and material usage whilst maintaining strength and protection
• Material innovation to ensure highest levels of performance are achieved
• Continued drive to reduce carbon emissions associated with manufacturing and transport
• Education and collaboration between business, consumers, stakeholders and industry experts and policy makers to drive change

Succinctly, corrugated board and packaging is playing a huge part in business operations in the twenty first century and we look forward to seeing what the future holds and playing our part in shaping it.