The Life Cycle of Corrugated Packaging, why Recycling Matters

Corrugated packaging boasts a recycling rate of about 30% in India, one of the highest among packaging materials. This high recyclability indicates the degree of responsibility we have in managing its life cycle effectively. Understanding this cycle is the key to realizing why recycling isn’t just beneficial but essential for our planet. In this regard, this article covers the life cycle of corrugated packaging and highlights the vital role of corrugated recycling in fostering a sustainable future.  

The Life Cycle of Corrugated Packaging 

Corrugated packaging has a fascinating life cycle. It goes as follows.  

• Creating the board: Corrugator, a key machine in this process, brings together three to seven sheets of paper to form a single, double, or triple wall board. This is a continuous process where sheets are corrugated, glued and cut to size.  
• Corrugation: The process involves giving a v-shape to the medium sheet of paper (fluting) under heat and pressure, then applying starch and gluing it with inner and outer liners to form a rigid board.  
• Converting: Post corrugation, the board undergoes various transformations like printing, die-cutting, folding, and gluing, as per custom requirements.  

Recycling Significance and Process from Bin to New Packaging 

Recycling cardboard is important for environment conservation and resource management. In this regard, recycling corrugated material reduces the volume of waste and landfill. This reduces the amount of methane emission to the environment which is 28 times more toxic than carbon dioxide. The cardboard reuse process is a fascinating cycle as described below.  

• Collection and Transportation: Collection of recycled materials from different sources and transporting them to recycling centers. 
• Sorting and Cleaning: Sorting collections using infra-red or air jets followed by cleaning them to remove contaminants. 
• Shredding and Pulping: Shredding and mixing the collections with water to create a pulp to remove impurities before breaking them down into smaller pieces. 
• Processing into raw material: Processing the output into raw forms, for instance, processing paper pulp into new paper rolls. 

• Manufacturing new products: Sending raw materials to various manufacturers to be made into new materials. 
• Distribution and usage: Distributing manufactured products into stores and businesses to be used by consumers. 
• Consumer participation: Consumers choosing to recycle the product thereby completing the recycling life cycle. 

Reduction achieved 

The environmental impact of packaging is noteworthy. Between 2006 and 2020, the corrugated industry reduced greenhouse gas emissions per unit by 50%. This is a tremendous achievement towards tackling climate change. There was also a significant reduction in:  

• Ozone depletion (13%) 
• Energy usage (13%)  
• Water usage (18%) 
• Acid rain (41%) 
• Smog (44%) 
• Respiratory effect (54%) 
• Eutrophication (30%) 

Recycling rate 

In 2022, the recycling rate of cardboard, including corrugated packaging, reached a remarkable 93.6% in the US, an increase from 91.4% in 2021. This makes corrugated packaging one of the most recycled materials in the country.  

Benefits of Corrugated Packaging Recycling 

Corrugated packaging recycling offers several environmental benefits. Here are some key benefits:  

• Being sturdy, corrugated materials offer a higher weight capacity than traditional packaging. 

• Corrugated packaging offers high customization to reduce waste production. 
• They offer highly recycled material, aiding towards sustainable disposal and low carbon emission. 
•  A single corrugated box can be recycled and reused multiple times, making it affordable for companies.  
• The use of new and recycled fibers supports a circular economy in packaging, maximizing resource efficiency. 

Challenges and Innovative Solutions in Recycling Corrugated Packaging  

The corrugated packaging industry is facing two biggest challenges.  

• Supply-demand gap: There is a potential shortage of recycled paper products. With a growing demand for eco-friendly materials, there’s a risk of not meeting these sustainability goals.  
• Collection levels: Despite high recycling rates, collection levels of high-quality recycled materials are expected to remain almost flat.  

In this regard, the following innovative solutions can help.  

• Enhance PET recovery from collection to sorting and processing  
• Public-private partnership to boost local collection rates 
• Improving sustainable packaging design to enhance material recovery  

Global Perspectives on Corrugated Packaging Recycling 

Globally, corrugated packaging recycling holds significant importance in sustainable waste management and resource conservation. For instance, in Europe, the recycling rate of corrugated cardboard is 82%, aiding the region’s circular economy and cardboard sustainability. Similarly, in the US, more than 93% of old corrugated containers were recycled in 2022, a significant jump from 54% recycling rates in 1993.  

End Thoughts 

Adopting corrugated box packaging could be your crucial transformation to sustainable solutions. In this regard, Moglix offers end-to-end corrugated packaging procurement solutions. Our personalized sustainable packaging options aim to meet your enterprise needs while driving you towards the forefront of green packaging solutions.