In recent years, the - increasingly booming - mail order business caused a lot of packaging waste - and therefore solutions had to be found!

The question was which packaging materials can be used to optimally counteract the resulting environmental pollution.

The answer is: corrugated board. Because corrugated board convinces with various properties, which in turn bring further environmentally friendly factors. Corrugated board itself is up to 100 percent recyclable and biodegradable!

In the following, we will explain why it is a real all-rounder . In order to fully understand this topic, some "background knowledge" is required.

Sustainability plays an important role in e-commerce

The topic of sustainability in e-commerce is very complex and includes the area of packaging and everything that goes with it. In digital commerce, it can become a major challenge if the company is to operate ecologically and sustainably.

This means not only choosing the right packaging or having it produced, but also making sure that the entire process is as environmentally friendly as possible. This is because many companies achieve very poor climate balances in part due to their logistics, their electricity consumption and their packaging materials.

However, it is still possible to do business in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way. Since our focus is on - especially sustainable - packaging, we want to give you a little insight into this and ultimately address the question "How does corrugated cardboard affect e-commerce?".
 

Climate protection - It does not work without

There is no way around climate protection. After all, this is about maintaining our living space. It is therefore necessary to convert both economic processes and corporate processes to sustainability in the long term.

Especially since the trend is always moving further in the direction of e-commerce anyway and end consumers greatly appreciate online shopping.

Another important factor is the fact that, according to a Yougov survey, around two thirds of all respondents in Germany would like to see an environmentally friendly mail order business. This topic is thus not only of purely political interest, but also of great importance to consumers.

So we see: The urgency of environmental protection is already present among consumers. That's why it's also important to satisfy their demands in terms of ecological aspects. This is the only way companies can continue to retain customers in the long term or attract new ones.

Why is corrugated board an optimal packaging solution?

This little insight will now help us to take a closer look at corrugated board and its impact on e-commerce.

We would like to take a detailed look at these points in particular:

• Corrugated board is particularly environmentally friendly because it is produced from renewable raw materials
• Corrugated board is recyclable and reusable
• further resources are conserved during production

Thanks to all these properties, the use of corrugated board has a positive impact on sustainability in e-commerce. This is because in this industry, numerous quantities of packaging are needed every day in order to be able to ship ordered goods safely.

We have already discussed in advance how important it is, both from an economic and an ecological point of view, to participate in environmental protection. Let's therefore move on to other important facts that will surely interest you.

bio-based	recyclable	Biodegradable
Corrugated board is made from 100 percent natural fibers. Only 20 percent fresh fibers are used in production and 80 percent consists of previously recycled waste paper.	Corrugated board is not only almost 100 percent completely recyclable, it can also be recycled. It is a closed-loop product, which is why it can be recycled several times.	Smaller quantities of corrugated cardboard can even be disposed of in home compost or used for mulching (covering soil with unrotted organic material for protection and maintenance). This is because corrugated cardboard is 100 percent biodegradable.

In e-commerce, the sustainability aspect with regard to corrugated board packaging is made up of various factors. At first glance, its use seems more expensive compared to other materials. After all, it is no secret that new packaging is usually cheaper. This is due to the raw materials used for production.

However, corrugated board is still a very favorable alternative overall. Important resources - necessary for climate protection - are saved in other areas. The production of corrugated board requires less electricity than the production of other packaging materials.

The otherwise very cost-intensive factor of energy requirements can be reduced accordingly with the use of corrugated board. Especially in this day and age, when electricity is becoming increasingly expensive, this is an important point that benefits the sustainability requirements in e-commerce.

Another important criterion is that less water is required for the production of corrugated board. This also saves costs and protects resources.

Ultimately, CO2 emissions are also significantly reduced, which in turn has a direct impact on the climate. For us at Palamo, the sustainability of corrugated board in e-commerce is therefore obvious.

But that is not all. As a true all-rounder, corrugated board has much more to offer and is suitable as a packaging material for almost any product.

Whether it is non-food or food - in it everything is environmentally friendly and safe packaging. This is due in particular to the condition that there are free formats in the packaging of corrugated board.

It brings the advantage that goods can be packaged to fit exactly - and thus further costs and resources can be saved due to the reduced use of packaging material.

A brief interim conclusion: the numerous advantages of corrugated board in terms of environmental protection and sustainability in e-commerce cannot be denied.

In our blog you can find even more information about corrugated board. Feel free to contact us if you have any further questions.