Why choose cardboard and eco-friendly packaging?

The use of environmentally friendly packaging is not just a voluntary choice today, but a necessity. The environment is becoming increasingly polluted, so everything must be done to relieve it, and one good way of doing this is by using ecological cardboard boxes.

There is a lot of environmentally friendly packaging available on the market, including packaging made from natural raw materials. New alternatives to traditional packaging are constantly appearing. The cardboard box is also a traditional yet ecological packaging.

What is ecological packaging?

Ecological packaging is safe for the environment. What does this mean? The manufacturing process of the material, the packaging itself, its use and its disposal do not contribute to pollution.

Of course, it is not possible to replace plastic packaging with cardboard in every case, but more and more environmentally friendly materials are being developed that have the functionality of plastic ones. Some of the most environmentally friendly packaging materials include: paper and cardboard, grass, vegetable starch, hemp, cellular glass and many others.

Paper and cardboard are made from wood, a raw material that renews itself and is_CO2 neutral. Cardboard products are most often certified that the wood product comes from sustainably managed forests. Paper and cardboard can be recycled after use and can otherwise be used repeatedly. All packaging made of cardboard and paper is therefore considered environmentally friendly.

It is important to remember that eco-friendly packaging is packaging that is not only recyclable, but also that does not generate negative environmental impacts during production. Glass and plastic, for example, are also recyclable, but they are not green packaging.
Nowadays, more and more alternative packaging is being produced, i.e. made of grass (a versatile material with a high resistance to tearing), vegetable starch (maize or potatoes – it is a renewable raw material and can be composted – starch is most often used to make packet fillers), hemp (used to protect goods due to its properties similar to polystyrene; hemp does not require fertiliser and can be 100% recycled), cellular glass (a material made from cellulose that looks like plastic with the properties of paper and is highly tear-resistant).

Another interesting material is rPET, which is recycled beverage bottles made from PET. Its production uses less energy and_CO2 emissions are lower. rPET is a stable, indestructible and food-safe material.

The above-mentioned packaging materials are of course still innovations, so they are mostly not used on a mass scale. For the time being, cardboard is still the most widespread and available material for eco-friendly packaging.

Why send products in ecological cartons?

The use of ecological boxes does not adversely affect the environment. It is as much about the sourcing of the material (wood from sustainable forestry, fully renewable) as it is about its processing. Cardboard packaging is mostly manufactured from recycled material with the addition of new wood. Once used, cardboard boxes can be recycled again. In addition to this, strong cardboard boxes can be reused again and again, both for shipping and for storing and carrying various items.

Ecological packaging – advantages

Another advantage of using such packaging is that practically everything can be sent in it, except for bulky and irregularly shaped items (although, for example, a sofa can be sent in a box). It is the most versatile packaging. If the items to be sent require it, they can be secured with a parcel filler (also ecological – e.g. made of cornstarch, wood or paper sawdust or ordinary wrapping paper).

Using eco-friendly packaging also has a major impact on the positive image of the company/online shop. Why? Because consumers are becoming more and more environmentally aware and want to act as environmentally friendly as possible themselves, so, if they have a choice, they will rather choose eco-friendly packaging. If a shop uses such, it will certainly have a better reputation than one that pays no attention to this and only uses environmentally unfriendly packaging.