Are Cardboard Boxes Sustainable?

Sustainability has been on everyone’s minds recently, especially with COP26 last year and environment champions like Greta Thunberg dominating the media. More consumers than ever before are wanting to find environmentally friendly substitutes and are putting businesses in the spotlight for their sustainability efforts. The best and easiest way for businesses to adapt and reduce their carbon footprint is by swapping plastic for cardboard.

Is Cardboard Packaging Eco-Friendly?

Cardboard is made from a natural and renewable resource - wood. This means, so long as we keep up with forest management, there are endless reproduction opportunities. However, 80% of the cardboard we use in the UK is actually recycled anyway, meaning more trees and less waste overall!

Cardboard is universally known to be one of the most eco-friendly packaging options because of being easily recycled and reused. Due to its origins, it can be reused several times over and still remain a strong and versatile material that is suitable for storing and transporting goods.

Here at ASC Direct, we created the Box Builder tool which allows businesses to create boxes exactly to size, therefore reducing waste and energy used to create more cardboard.

What Does FSC Certified Mean?

All our corrugated cardboard is FSC Certified, which means that the Forest Stewardship Council has certified that the paper we use for cardboard is obtained in an ethical and environmentally friendly manner. FSC is an international non-profit organisation, who work to ensure responsible management of the world’s forests by governments and businesses.

Our corrugated cardboard is also completely biodegradable and it takes roughly 1 year (at a max) for it to decay and be reclaimed by the environment. This is significantly less than plastic which can take anywhere between 20 to 500 years to decompose!

Businesses looking to be more sustainable should consider the move to cardboard packaging. ASC Direct can provide your business with everything it needs to send your goods in a safe, secure and environmentally-friendly way. Check out our Box Builder to get started on your custom cardboard boxes. 

James Palfrey-Smith is the Commercial Manager at ASC Direct with extensive experience in both operations and sales. James is passionate about solving packaging problems, delivering fast customer support, and building lasting relationships. Outside of work, he enjoys outdoor activities like hiking and skiing. A fan of real ale and business podcasts, he continuously seeks personal and professional growth. 

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