Protecting the Environment

Power Packaging introduced the use of chemistry free plates from FUJIFILM Graphic Systems in July 2006 after participating in their Beta Testing Program. The ECOMAXX-T plate requires no Chemistry to develop, and thus leaves no harmful waste chemistry to be disposed of.  For more information please visit ECOMAXX-T.  Once used to capacity, aluminum plates are picked up by a local recycling facility.

All paper waste (both virgin and non-virgin fiber) is segregated and reclaimed by a local paper recycling facility.  Power Packaging uses Toyo Inks that are Petro-chemical free.  The oils used in our inks are derived from plant life.  These inks are also low in Volatile organic compounds (VOC’s).  For more information on Toyo’s products feel free to visit TOYO INK.

Power Packaging Inc. deals with venders that have their F.S.C. Certification.  This allows clients to market their products by printing the F.S.C. branded logo on their packaging.  The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a non profit organization that has instituted policies which benefit and protect the environment. For more information about FSC and its sustainability practices, visit their website www.fsc.org.

We understand our responsibility and see the benefits of using environmentally responsible paper mills such as the Holmen Group (FSC certified).  They are the manufacturer of Invercote; a high end substrate.  Invercote is used for various Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical packaging.  Power Packaging has been utilizing the Holmen Group’s stock on particular jobs for over 10 years and has a long standing relationship with this mill.  Check out the Holmen Group Company profile by following this link: Holmen Group.

Corrugated: The Sustainable Package

Corrugated Recycling Facts:

•    Corrugated is the most-recycled packaging material on earth, with a recovery rate over 78 percent in the United States.

•    78.3% of all corrugated was recovered in the US for recycling in 2007 (25.6 million tons), up from 76.3% in 2006.

•    The average corrugated box consists of 43% recycled fiber, (AF&PA).

•    The fiber in used corrugated is recovered and reused to make new products: 59.9% of recovered corrugated is used to make new containerboard. 15.3% goes into recycled paperboard, and exports account for 21.2%, (AF&PA).

•    Corrugated can be recycled an average of 7 times before the fibers become to short and they are filtered out as sludge during the pulping process. The sludge is then ready for disposal, but often has one more usage and that is as daily cover at landfills in place of soil.

•    U.S. corrugated manufacturing is a $24.7 billion industry, contributing to the GDP of America while supporting distribution of products throughout the world.

•    Corrugated is manufactured in the U.S.A., where approximately 1300 facilities provide jobs and benefits to over 80,000 employees and their families.

•    Water-based inks are now used almost exclusively for printing graphics on corrugated containers, avoiding the use of lead-based inks and solvents which pollute the air and the water used to wash down printing equipment between color changes.

•    Corrugated is vital to distribution systems in the U.S. It is the most frequently used shipping material because it is cost-effective, lightweight, functional and versatile. Its use contributes to more cost-efficient and fuel-efficient packaging of products from point of origin to point of sale and end use.

•    Cost Analysis Case Scenarios have been conducted comparing corrugated shipping containers to RPCs (returnable plastic containers).  Corrugated is more cost-effective in a total system cost analysis. To view the case studies, follow this link.

•    More wood grows in our nation’s forests than is harvested (about 49% more).

•    On an inflation-adjusted basis, the average cost of a corrugated container has decreased 11.7 percent from 1997 to 2007, (Fiber Box Association).

•    Corrugated packaging is custom designed for each product it protects, allowing the use of minimized materials and the most efficient space utilization possible by reducing “head space” within the package and maximizing cube efficiency in trucks.

•    Corrugated has the best recycling rate of any packaging material used today.

•    Asian corrugated boxes, which have been recycled many times due to chronic virgin fiber shortages in those countries, tend to be weaker and less resistant to water than U.S. corrugated boxes. The fiber quality of Asian OCC is so low that many American recycling mills exclude it from their processes.

•    The single largest export from the United States was old corrugated containers and waste paper being shipped off to our Asian trading partners.

What happens to old corrugated containers?

Old corrugated containers (OCC) are turned into:

•    Containerboard (59.9 percent)

•    Recycled paperboard (15.3 percent)

•    Tissue (less than 1 percent)

•    Packaging and industrial converting (1.6 percent)

•    Exports to other countries (21.2 percent)

•    Other (1.1 percent)

Facts about recycling 1 ton of corrugated cardboard

•    Saves 17 trees from having to be cut down and used for pulp

•    Saves 7000 gallons of water

•    Cuts pollution 95%

•    Saves 11 barrels – 462 gallons – of oil

•    Saves more than 3 cubic yards of landfill space

•    Corrugated can be recycled an average of 7 times before the fibers become to short and they are filtered out as sludge during the pulping process. The sludge is then ready for disposal, but often has one more usage and that is as daily cover at landfills in place of soil.

A Cleaner, Greener End Product

Through its ongoing commitment and attention to all aspects of corrugated production and renewal, the corrugated industry continues striving to produce the cleanest, greenest packaging material on earth.  Meanwhile, ongoing research promises to develop even greater advances every day, helping maintain corrugated leadership in preserving the earth's natural resources for future generations.