Paper-based packaging is made with a renewable natural resource – trees grown in sustainably managed forests – and when well-designed, efficiently manufactured, appropriately used and recycled at the end of its useful life, provides a host of benefits for people and the planet.

The strength and durability of paper-based packaging powers global commerce by ensuring the safe and efficient transport of goods, and its versatility and visual appeal help businesses effectively market their products. It communicates vital information to consumers, and provides the tactile pleasure that comes with receiving a special delivery or opening a gift. And importantly, when paper-based packaging is recycled it extends the life of the natural resources used to produce it and prevents waste from going to landfills.

Responsible pulp and paper operations bring many benefits to forests, local economies and people, particularly in rural areas. Many pulp and paper companies are demonstrating leadership in responsible forestry and plantation management as well as in clean manufacturing processes and recycled content.
World Wildlife Fund, 2020

The paper and wood products industry is inherently circular in its supply chain, from the regeneration of renewable resources (trees) that supply fiber to recycling packaging and paper that is recovered and turned into new products. The industry manufactures more with less by efficiently using wood fiber, reusing water and pulping chem¬icals multiple times, utilizing manufacturing residuals and byproducts to produce carbon-neutral biomass energy and optimizing the use of non-renewable resources.[1]

The forest products sector is central to the ongoing transition to a low-carbon and circular future rooted in renewable, natural resources, also known as the bioeconomy. With their ability to capture and store carbon, fiber-based materials feed into a broad array of renewable solutions that can substitute non-renewable and fossil-based materials in products we use every day.[2]

Paper offers inspiration – a widely used and recyclable packaging material that is relatively benign if leaked into the environment.
World Economic Forum, 2016

Paper and paperboard packaging – which includes corrugated cardboard boxes, folding cartons, rigid paperboard boxes, flexible packaging, sacks and bags – is often the preferred sustainable packaging choice of consumers.[3] Its key raw material, wood fiber, is a renewable resource and it’s also the most recycled of all types of packaging materials.[4]

Sources:

1. American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), 2020
2. World Business Council for Sustainable Development, 2019
3. Two Sides and Toluna, 2020
4. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 2021