We all use them — we all know how to put them together — and we can all gather a bunch of them out of seemingly nowhere in a moment’s notice. Stumped? They’re brown, usually have tape on them, and you probably aren’t getting into your new apartment or house very easily without them. Still stumped? The answer is corrugated boxes made of cardboard.
The reason so many folks will likely already know how to put them together is because a reported 90% of all products imported, exported, or relocated domestically throughout the United States are moved in a corrugated box at some point.
The cost of packaging has essentially been standardized and regulated based on the usage of these boxes. Almost all freight is shippable inside of these, especially after factoring in custom cardboard packaging which can accommodate oddly-shaped packages like automobiles, etc. Custom product packaging is a big part of how we’re able to ship objects internationally.
They’re one of the few items that Americans seem to treat with respect when it comes to recycling. Figures obtained and released by the industry seem to indicate that an estimated 91% of all containerboard (including cardboard packaging) was recovered and recycled in the United States. That’s pretty staggering to think about — over 9 out of 10 cardboard boxes in America were recycled during a given year!
It is perhaps no surprise that the corrugated packaging industry in America is the largest segment of the entire packaging industry, with over 1,500 box plants currently operating on U.S. soil. While many other industries have felt the crushing blows of an almost impossible economy, the packaging sector went virtually unaffected, and has more plants open in the United States today than most other industries.
Whether or not you’re moving, planning a move, or simply have things to store, there is no need to look any further than the one packaging solution that’s been storing and moving 9 out of every 10 items in America for decades — corrugated boxes!