Corrugated, made from a natural renewable resource, has a great environmental record: environmentally responsible, recyclable, compostable, cost-effective and versatile. Tree farms help clear the air, protecting our environment while helping ensure a sustainable future. Corrugated is almost always manufactured using high percentages of recovered fiber (including old corrugated containers, kraft, old newspapers and mixed paper), thereby diverting these materials from the municipal solid waste stream. In 2012, 91 percent of all containerboard produced was recovered and recycled in the U.S. Corrugated has the best recycling rate of any packaging material used today.
MADE FROM RESPONSIBLY MANAGED, RENEWABLE RESOURCES
- 96 percent of corrugated boxes are made with material supplied by certified fiber sourcing programs such as Sustainable Forestry Initiative ® (SFI), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and American Tree Farm System (ATFS). Program participants are committed to sustainable forestry in their own forests, and are required to encourage their suppliers to practice sustainable forestry.
- For the past 100 years, total U.S. forest area has been stable and actually grew by 2 million acres from 2000 to 2005. (AF&PA’s 2012 Sustainability Report)
- The forest products industry plants 1.7 million new trees every day, contributing to the long-term viability of North American forests, preserving wildlife habitats, sequestering carbon dioxide and offsetting greenhouse gas emissions. (SFI)
- Today, the United States has 20 percent more trees than it did on the first Earth Day celebration more than 40 years ago.
USES RENEWABLE ENERGY
- More than 65 percent of the energy needed to produce paper products is derived from carbon-neutral biomass fuel. (AF&PA’s 2012 Sustainability Report.)
- On-site fossil fuel use at pulp and paper mills decreased by 30 percent, per ton of product, between 1990 and 2010, including a 3.8 percent reduction between 2008 and 2010. (AF&PA’s 2012 Sustainability Report.)
- Forest products facilities produce 70 percent of the renewable biomass energy used by the entire manufacturing sector.
OUR VISION
We strive to be environmentally responsible in our actions to improve upon adverse environmental impacts on our planet. To realize this vision, we rely upon our core values of integrity, commitment, respect, teamwork, and responsibility to guide us in executing our vision. The activities of our business and employees face many challenges and opportunities. Due to their direct impact on us and what we can impact, we have prioritized the following issues that need to be addressed: climate change, water conservation, and waste diversion. We have excellent design capabilities and are constantly looking for ways to reduce packaging for our customers
We commit to:
- Educate ourselves and prioritize sustainability opportunities
- Engage employees in the execution of these opportunities
- Monitor and minimize the environmental impacts of waste, water, energy, and air quality
- Ensure our supply chain has responsible environmental practices
We commit to:
- Tracking GHG emissions and have established an internal GHG reduction goal, utilizing alternative technologies (i.e. LED lighting) to help us achieve our goals.
- Tracking and reporting waste generation and waste diversion and recycling materials
- Meeting regularly on our sustainability progress
- Utilizing a vendor base with formalized sustainability programs in place across their organizations
