Drive Retail Sales & Profit Through Sustainable Packaging & Recycling

Dramatic new products are core to the vibrant U.S. marketplace. Fashion, cosmetics, dining, groceries, consumer electronics, power tools, home decor, or disruptive new products—continuous roll-outs pique buyer interest and drive purchases. Reflecting evolving preferences and changing business needs of customers, all these segments drive innovation in another, all-encompassing arena as well: packaging design and manufacturing.

The U.S. corrugated packaging industry in particular is undergoing a significant transformation driven by changing market conditions. And this transformation is supported by a raft of developments in material science, recycling technologies, and sustainable design practices. In its quest for sustainability and circularity, the recycling industry has, perhaps surprisingly, become a focal point of change due to its dominant role as the container material for retail goods both in shipping and on store shelves.

And maybe even more unexpectedly, one material is at the forefront of this revolution: humble corrugated cardboard packaging. A good example of the breadth of corrugated applications can be seen in the markets served by International Paper’s brand spanking new $100 million plant in Atglen, PA. It is producing corrugated packaging for clients across many segments: produce packing, processed food firms, beverage bottlers, shipping and distribution services, and e-commerce customers.

The responsiveness of the packaging industry to this continuous drive for change and improvement is nowhere more evident than in patents granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, where packaging designers and manufacturers, including International Paper, are prolific applicants. With a 126-year history of developing new products and processes, the world's largest fiber packaging manufacturer continues to innovate at a rapid pace, with nearly 3,100 patents overall.

That triple challenge—combining aesthetics, functionality, and environmental sustainability—is the motivator in packaging development today, and International Paper’s patent development reflects this shift.

“Despite having eight corners, our boxes are circular by design because we create them with the end use in mind. In other words, our boxes are designed to be recovered, recycled and reused,” says Sophie Beckham vice president and chief sustainability officer at International Paper, where she works across the enterprise to advance sustainability strategy development and the company’s Vision 2030 goal implementation.

As customers now seek more sustainable packaging solutions, research and development at International Paper frequently focuses on recyclability and circularity in the fiber supply chain. With recycling facilities across North America, International Paper handles more than 7 million tons of Old Corrugated Containers (cardboard), linerboard, and mixed white paper that feed recycled fiber to its mills and those of third party partners, using more than 5 million tons of recovered fiber in its own mills—a truly circular packaging loop for its recycling services.

Research, and resulting patents, lead to a number of channels of development that improve recyclability of fiber packaging for International Paper’s own mills and the entire industry. Key among them are patented corrugated anti-wicking barrier coating formulations and ClimaShield® coatings that, unlike waxes and plastics, are able to be recycled alongside uncoated cardboard.

But there is much more than materials science involved. International Paper has developed carton designs that while strong and sturdy in use, readily break down for reuse or recycling.

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

One avenue to sustainability is to reduce the amount of packaging, with eCommerce firms like Amazon favoring products that can ship in its own container. Known as SIOC (Ship in Own Container), this trend is driving brand owners to turn to International Paper’s dozens of patented SIOC designs, which are then tailored and customized for each application. Annually, International Paper’s customer commitment centers conduct nearly 400 SIOC projects working with more than 50 customers.

Another way to reduce packaging materials is to size packaging to the minimal dimensions required for shipping. Fanfold corrugated materials fill the bill to optimize packaging size on-the-fly in shipping centers, with machinery built by Packsize.

When making new boxes, International Paper only uses fiber from sustainability managed forests and recycled fiber, an environmentally sound practice. When possible, reuse of boxes can reduce the environmental burden of packaging even further. International Paper’s 2022 patent application for corrugated cardboard containers for repeated uses, along with a family of related patent applications, optimizes boxes both for rapid set-up and speedy breakdown. Another patent addresses a container design that is capable of being collapsed and re-erected: “While the described containers are effective to maintain their shape for protecting a product during use….It is difficult to collapse such containers following use so as to provide a flattened configuration for plural containers to be compactly stacked for storage and/or collection.”

Eliminating non-recyclability in packaging is also a key trend for packagers. In customer-facing eCommerce segments, unboxing a shipment to find goods encased in plastic foams and pillows can create a negative impact on brand perception. International Paper’s patent trail in recyclable shipping box cushions and fillers—from molded fiber product cases to corrugated wraps for breakable goods, demonstrates its focus on sustainable fiber-based inner packaging. It’s part of a paperization trend sweeping packagers and retailers trying to eliminate styrofoam and other plastics.

In the case of glass container goods, International Paper’s design experts say that with increased touches during order picking, outbound shipping, and last mile distribution to customers in the eCommerce supply chain, and “little to no consideration for box orientation, leaking and broken bottles are inevitable. Our solutions are designed to help you solve these problems.” Patents including one for “shipping insert and blank for forming same” and for “corrugated inserts for boxes containing wine or other breakable objects” cover International Paper’s work in this area.

Conclusion

In the packaging sector, patent developments by International Paper, brand owners, and a broad spectrum of stakeholders now incorporate recyclability not only for the sustainability benefits, but because the full cycle of packaging design, manufacturing, and recovery for circularity are a key part of the product marketing story. To win the hearts and minds of customers today, packagers and brand owners must make sure that their product, and the packaging surrounding it, has the full story—features, benefits, and sustainable, recyclable, packaging.