Fibre Box Association: Boxes Remain A Recycling Success Story This past week, the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) announced the recycling rate for old corrugated containers (OCC) at 93.6 percent in 2022 — an increase from 2021 with an overall three-year average of 91.3 per- cent. The news comes at an important time in the discourse of recycling as states, communities and individuals increas- ingly take on the challenge of materials management. The recycling rate for OCC has remained consistently high due to a long-standing industry commitment to en- courage recycling and to reuse recycled materials to make new boxes.
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100 boxes or one, you need to be able to provide what they need and adapt quickly. To ensure your business’s longevity in the corrugated box industry and stay compet- itive, you need to remain flexible. If you don’t currently offer your customers the option to place an order without minimum quantity requirements, you may want to implement this option to surpass the competition and retain your customers. Though they may not seem worthwhile, small or single orders can help keep you in business. Equipment Downtime: Due to the substantial volume of output the corrugated box industry produces daily, the industry is very dependent on reliable equipment, as it is sensitive to productivity numbers. As a result, unexpected equipment downtime can be costly. Equipment downtime could be caused by mechanical failures or disasters, such as floods or fires. Be sure to keep up with preventative maintenance to minimize downtime. The proper mainte- nance should keep your equipment in ideal working con- dition so you can continue meeting your objectives. Last-Minute Orders: The corrugated box industry is also facing the challenge of receiving last-minute orders. This is one of the most challenging ongoing issues that corrugated box manufacturers face. While last-minute or- ders can mean more business and revenue, they can also mean tighter deadlines and more stress for your team. If an order arrives at the end of the day, you’ll need to manage it first thing in the morning the next day. Though these orders are placed at the last minute, the requirements and customer expectations are still the same. You need to provide high-quality boxes that meet your customers’ needs in a timely manner. To successful- ly manage last-minute orders, incorporate a high-perfor- mance machine that has the power to produce more at a faster speed with fewer packing personnel. Fortunately, there is some good news for companies in the corrugated box industry. One of the most promising corrugated box trends is the big increase in the e-com- merce industry. Businesses are going online more than ever before, and there is a huge boost in demand for cor- rugated packaging. The corrugated industry represents a large portion of e-commerce demand, which means that growth in the e-commerce industry may also lead to growth in the corrugated industry. Corrugated cardboard is also sustainable, and there is currently an increasing demand for sustainable packaging and solutions like strapping. Despite its challenges, the corrugated industry is po- sitioned for growth in the coming years. Though compa- nies may have to adjust how they do business, there is still potential for growth, especially if you can be flexible and overcome the challenges the industry is facing. To stay ahead of the competition and continue growing your busi- ness, it’s essential to have the right equipment for the job. For more information, visit eammosca.com .
The AF&PA’s 2021 Access to Recycling Study found 94 percent of Americans have access to community recycling programs that include OCC – boxes used for everything from shipping boxes to pizza boxes. By recycling, the corrugated packaging industry is re- using the same box fibers again and again (and actually at least seven times again) to make new boxes. Of the 34 million tons recycled, fifty-three percent (18 million tons) of OCC were used to produce new container- board, another 5.5 million tons were used to make other paper products, and more than 10 million tons were ex- ported. This reuse keeps materials in the supply chain for as long as possible and is an important step in the circular- ity of corrugated packaging solutions. Boxes are the most recycled packaging material in the US and act as a large contributor to the overall paper recy- cling rate. More paper is recycled by weight from munici- pal waste streams than plastic, glass, steel, and aluminum combined. But we didn’t get here overnight. AF&PA first published the annual recycling rate in conjunction with the introduc- tion of the Corrugated Recycles symbol in the early 1990s. Since then, the rate has followed a steady upward trend from 54 percent in 1993 to today’s rate. The rate has hovered around 90 percent for the last decade. The OCC recycling rate is calculated annually by divid- ing the U.S. recovery of OCC for recycling by the U.S. sup- ply of containerboard. CONTINUED ON PAGE 70
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August 28, 2023
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