Recycled, Repurposed and Reused Packaging is Red Hot!

Sometimes the lines between different sustainability terms are rather fuzzy, but in this case they are fairly clear.

Recyclable Packaging

This is packaging that can be recycled, in most cases reprocessed and ideally remanufactured to create more of the same product. When you recycle a corrugated box and it is collected in for example a curb side recycling program it usually winds up being re-pulped and made into more paper which can be turned into corrugated board and eventually into “new” corrugated boxes.

Our Globe Guard® boxes are a great example of this process since they are made of 100% post consumer waste recycled corrugated and if disposed of properly, they can go through the recycling and re-pulping cycle again with the end result potentially being more Globe Guard corrugated boxes.

A different example of recyclable packaging is when plastic such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) after being thermoformed into clam shell or blister packaging, or blown into bottles and other types of packaging containers, can be recycled and used to make a new but usually a lesser grade of product which in this case would be RPET. Recycled polyethylene terephthalate usually winds up as similar transparent rigid packaging applications but may not have the clarity of its original structure.

Repurposed Packaging

This is where the creative people go to work. This term applies to packaging that is reprocessed and converted for a distinctly different purpose. New uses and applications are being introduced almost on a daily basis but a now familiar one is when plastic polypropylene beverage bottles are recycled, reprocessed and made into a new flexible plastic film that can be sewn into a reusable shopping bag.

Another great example is corrugated and paper packaging is recycled, re-pulped and formed into molded pulp packaging, often times used for interior and protective packaging applications. Corrugated may even be shredded into narrow, loose strips of corrugated board and used for void fill applications.

Reusable Packaging

Our company has been spending a lot of time in this area because we feel it is undervalued and underused. The fact is that it requires little effort and energy to reuse a product that has already been manufactured and does not have to be “re-manufactured” to be used again. In shipping containers, there are three different approaches we use to achieve reusability:

1. Heavy duty corrugated boxes – the difference in cost between a 32 ECT box and a 44 ECT box may be between 6 to 8% but by increasing the thickness or grade of the board, it may enable a standard box that can only be reused one or two times and increase its reusability to six to eight times. That is lot more use for very little additional cost.
2. Globe Guard ® Reusable Box – it is unique, patent pending and the first box ever created that is designed to be turned inside/out so it can be reused with a new look and different face. Excellent for returns, exchanges, field service support, MRO applications and anytime product is shipping back and forth between two facilities.
3. Plastic boxes – usually made of new or recycled polypropylene and ideal for “closed loop” applications where these valuable boxes are sure to be returned and reused. They are very expensive to buy initially but incredibly easy to justify when you consider that depending on the application and use, a plastic box may be reused as many as 60 to 80 times.

Which form of packaging is best for you is usually easy to determine after a complete review of the application including where a product is shipping, how it is shipping and even how it is being packed? Salazar Packaging offers the broadest assortment of reusable packaging and is sure to help you determine the best and greenest solution for the lowest possible cost.