Paper-based Recyclable Packaging Fuels Design Innovations
Consumers care about the sustainability of the products they buy—specifically, how they are produced, used, and packaged. As a result, concerns about the materials used in packaging, plastic vs. paper, have started to play a role in consumer preference. Paper fiber-based materials have high recycling rates, and don’t create long term environmental problems. International Paper is a global leader in sustainable packaging materials. When it comes to fiber-based packaging, we are setting the standard for innovation.
Consumers express growing concern about the sustainability of the products they buy—specifically, how they are produced, used, and packaged. This concern stems from acknowledging the long-term harm done to the environment by plastic packaging, which is not compostable and in many cases not recyclable because the infrastructure to recycle it doesn’t exist. Consumers understand that plastics, which are so prevalent in packaging films and rigid containers—even as void fill within packaged consumer goods— have low recycling rates, and they deliver harmful microplastic pollutants as they gradually degrade in waterways and soil.
Thankfully, alternatives to plastic packaging, especially fiber-based materials, have high recycling rates and when they end up in the environment don’t create long term problems. Advances in recycling technology and packaging materials design are facilitating the most sustainable alternative—fiber-based paper and corrugated packaging—to replace the role of plastics in this arena. Fiber-based packaging also conveys a minimalist design that consumers find appealing.
Market analysts identify trends in the move to “paperization” of packaging materials, and International Paper is leading the way with some new, sustainable packaging solutions. Among the trending innovations:
Specialty Packaging
Transport of damage-prone goods, such as liquid-filled plastic and glass bottles, have long been a challenge for manufacturers and sellers of consumer products. Wine bottles, liquid soaps and detergents, and similar products are particularly prone to damage in transit. International Paper offers an alternative to the plastic foam and peanuts used in shipping shipping via corrugated inserts and specialty packaging.
International Paper can also develop custom-designed packaging that also enhances the unboxing experience for consumers.
In one case, a major online retailer of consumer goods requested an improved shipping container for a major consumer products brand owner. International Paper developed a custom shipping insert contoured to match the unique teardrop bottle design. The insert cradled the bottles to absorb shocks in transit.
“We designed this for a shampoo set, because when the retailer was shipping this particular item, it was breaking and leaking all over the place,” said Mackenzie Crigger, Sustainability Manager, North America at International Paper.
In addition to reducing product damage and leakage in transit, the custom packaging enhanced the opening experience for recipients. “I’ve never seen a liquid product packaged with so much care. I had to take a picture,” read a comment from Jennifer on social media.
Recyclable bottle and cap shipped in a recyclable carton box
Minimalist Packaging
Another trend is reducing and minimizing packaging. A recent American Marketing Association study found a growing preference for packaging designed to reduce waste while still offering the same protective features using less material. Consumers tend to express dissatisfaction when they receive shipments in boxes that are too large for the item and are filled with excessive packing material to fill voids. This trend emphasizes simplicity and functionality with a “less is more” mindset.
International Paper offers several solutions to meet the demands of the minimalist trend, including eBosTM, an e-commerce box optimization service and SIOC (Ship in Own Containers) Bag in Box, containers for liquids as well as products for pet food.
Strong, Recyclable, Coated, Corrugated Containers
Another trend among consumers is a preference for recyclable and compostable packaging. International Paper has researched recyclable coatings and corrugated container designs that are stronger and more leak resistant. International Paper is already using water-based coatings, ClimaGuard® and ClimaShield®, as highly-effective moisture barriers to make containers that keep dry goods dry, and prevent fresh foods from leaking out of containers. The containers themselves have also been designed with increased compression strength and die cut designs that form leak-resistant corners.
International Paper ClimaGuard®
International Paper’s innovative ClimaGuard Medium technology replaces the wax applied during the formation of the medium, or the wavy fluted section of corrugated material that is sandwiched between two flat layers. ClimaGuard’s non-wax solution prevents moisture wicking and structural compromise.
“When we talk about wax and plastics replacement, you really need paper to do things that it wasn’t designed to do originally,” said Phil Slesinski, Product and Innovation Manager at International Paper.
“ClimaGuard is designed to be a high-performance, anti-wicking medium,” Slesinski said, “and we’ve been working with customers in the protein space who want wax-free packaging but have used wax in certain components. We’ve identified ClimaGuard as a solution to meet those needs.”
“In the conventional waxed box-making process, the fluted part of the corrugated cardboard enters a wax impregnation process where wax is integrated throughout the medium, corrugated, and made into a box,” he said.
“Using ClimaGuard coating, we’ve been able to develop a product at scale for a much lower cost to match the performance that the conventional wax process provides.”
Slesinski further noted that the use of ClimaGuard results in cost savings and even safety, by eliminating flammable wax from the process. There’s a sustainability improvement as well because ClimaGuard is a fully recyclable solution.
International Paper scaled this technology to fit a range of applications for larger, bulk containers, including OptiBin® for processing and shipping poultry and ClimaBin® for fresh produce. Developed in 2016, our team knew ClimaBin had to be especially robust to cover the range of humidity levels found in produce packing settings, which can include both indoor and outdoor facilities. The bins, which feature increased compression strength, are ultimately shipped to retailers and grocers ready to be used as vibrant display containers for produce like watermelons and pumpkins that are also fully recyclable when emptied.
International Paper ClimaShield®
An adaptation of this coating chemistry is used in International Paper’s ClimaShield technology, a wax-free, water-based coating applied through curtain coating of formed boxes and finished corrugated sheets. ClimaShield coating both strengthens the corrugated containers and imparts moisture resistance to protect the contents. The remarkable technical attributes were designed to ensure the containers remain fully recyclable. “We’ve spent a lot of time looking for wax alternatives, because a wax-coated box is not recyclable,” said Crigger. “And we’ve managed to move many of our customers into a wax replacement that is recyclable, especially for things like poultry. This is attractive for our produce customers as well, as they rely heavily on wax-coated boxes.”
Coatings and leak-proof corrugated box designs are continually being developed in partnership with International Paper customers. One packaging line—the Bliss Box—incorporates both an advanced ClimaShield coating and a unique corrugated box structure to yield a container that is both more leak-resistant than conventional designs and fully recyclable. The Bliss Box reduces plastic use in applications where the precursor to the Bliss Box was used. International Paper was able to accomplish this with twelve corners on the box, forming a gusseted corner and adding 35 percent more compression.
The Bottom Line
Consumers want to know their packaging is safe and not harmful to the Earth, so they seek packaging that can break down naturally without harming the environment. The best end-of-life solution for corrugated paper packaging is the recycling stream. However, if it accidentally lands in the environment, the paper will break down naturally without causing harm to the ecosystem.
Such developments result in packaging from International Paper that is 98 percent recyclable, reducing consumer uncertainty on environmentally responsible disposal. In partnering with International Paper Recycling and having us become an integrated part of your company, we will not only manufacture your innovative, fiber-based packaging but also manage the collection and recycling of these materials as well, as your all-inclusive, sustainable solutions provider.
Learn more about how International Paper can put Sustainability in Motion® for you.
