Parcel Forum (CONT’D FROM PAGE 26)
environmental impact; it’s like getting paid to be greener.” For consumers, right-sized packaging can lead to a better experience with the product, or even the return pro- cess, Groot said. “Think about your own life, when you get a box that’s oversized, that’s more stuff to recycle, it’s more items to throw away. Just make it easy on the consumer,” Groot said. “Some of our solutions implement a tear strip, for an easy opening experience and easy closing experi- ence, because returns are more prevalent now than ever before. If you have a right-size box that’s easy to open, and you don't like the item, you can put it back into that same box and ship it.” As Gen-Z takes up more of the e-commerce consumer base, cutting waste to benefit the consumer becomes es- pecially important, according to Malley. “Gen X is the first generation that actually makes changes to their buying behavior if they perceive waste. This is good for them, bad news for operations that have not thought this through yet. They will not only not buy from you again, they will also complain about it online,” Malley said. The Recyclability Of Corrugated Material The chasing arrows aren’t the end of the story when determining a package’s recyclability, according to Martin. He explained some of the determining factors for practical recyclability. “Just because something has the recycling symbol on it, doesn’t necessarily mean it is fully recyclable. Yes, it might be able to be recycled, but there has to be infrastructure there, there has to be an end market there, and there has to be a reuse for it. If those things aren’t there, then it’s likely just going to go to landfill,” said Martin. Martin referenced EPA data marking the national rate for all plastics recycling at around 9 percent, compared to a 69-74 percent recycling rate for corrugated board, which he cited from the American Forest & Paper Association. “We have stats from EPA showing that by weight, the U.S. collects more paper and corrugated than plastic items, steel, and aluminum combined. This is an astound- ing number,” said Martin. That recycled content can feed right back into produc- tion as well; about half of the material used to create cor- rugated packaging is OCC (old corrugated containers) or post-consumer content of some sort, according to Crigger. “I can really only speak for International Paper, but we bring in about 7 million tons of recycled content every year, so that’s a critical piece of our supply chain,” Crigger said. “We can always take more recycled content into the system, depending on what you’re going to make, what you’re trying to package. We have mills that make 100 per- cent recycled content and that serves fine for its function.” FBA’s presentations at Parcel Forum mark the launch of a bold initiative to deepen engagement with retailers and industry partners. As part of this effort, FBA will also be speaking at PACK EXPO and participating in October’s International Fresh Produce Association Global Show and the Paper and Plastic Recycling Conference.
Consumers expect online product purchases to arrive in pristine condition. Retailers and E-tailers need to minimize costly returns. Shipping in corrugated boxes makes everyone happy. Corrugated
packaging combines structural rigidity with wavy flutes to cushion and protect contents from damage. Perfect for stacking, cubing,and meeting the needs of omni- channel distribution to delight consumers with joyful unboxing experiences. When it comes to protecting goods, corrugated delivers.
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Len Prazych at 518-366-9017 lprazych@nvpublications.com
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www.boardconvertingnews.com
September 29, 2025
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