Knowledge
The sustainability of recycled cardboard: an eco-friendly packaging alternative
A growing awareness of environmental protection and the increasing demands on sustainable solutions are fuelling the search for suitable packaging materials. One of the most promising alternatives is recycled cardboard. But what makes this such a sustainable option? And why are there restrictions on its use in food packaging?
5 november 2024
The advantages of recycled cardboard
Recycled cardboard offers a variety of benefits that make it a particularly sustainable choice for packaging. Firstly, it makes a major contribution to resource conservation, as it is made from wastepaper and thus significantly reduces the need for new wood fibres. This helps to protect our forests, which play a vital role in the global ecosystem. In addition, recycled cardboard takes less energy and water to produce than new cardboard, giving the packaging a much smaller environmental footprint.
Recycled cardboard also helps to minimise the volume of waste by reducing the amount of paper sent to landfill. In addition, recycling processes generally cause lower CO₂ emissions than the production of new materials, which makes an important contribution to combating climate change.
50%
less energy
33%
less water
2.2 kg
wood saved
1.2 kg
wastepaper produces 1 kg recycled cardboard
Where recycled cardboard can be used
Recycled cardboard is used in many areas and is particularly popular to produce packaging and office materials. Packaging made of recycled cardboard is not only environmentally friendly, but also versatile and easy to print and design. This makes it an attractive choice for a wide range of applications.
Recycled cardboard isn’t just a resource, it’s a responsibility.
Ralf Kautzmann Managing Director, PAWI Packaging Deutschland GmbH
Restrictions on the use of recycled cardboard for food packaging
Despite its many advantages, recycled cardboard is not readily suitable for direct contact with food. This is mainly due to the risk of contamination, as wastepaper can contain impurities such as printing inks, adhesives and other chemical substances that migrate into the food and could pose long-term health risks. Food packaging is also subject to strict regulatory requirements: many countries have specific standards for materials that come into direct contact with food, and recycled cardboard does not usually meet these requirements.
However, recycled cardboard can be used in secondary packaging, i.e. where there is no direct contact with food. It is also a possible option for short-term packaging or for frozen goods.
Possibilities for improvement and special treatment processes
There are ways to treat recycled cardboard to make it suitable for use as packaging with direct food contact: The migration of undesirable substances can be prevented by applying functional barrier layers such as films or polymer coatings or by incorporating activated carbon or absorber layers into the cardboard mass. These special coatings must of course comply with the strict regulations and standards for food packaging to ensure that there are no health risks.
Conclusion
Recycled cardboard is a sustainable alternative to conventional packaging materials and plays an important role in environmental protection. Using recycled cardboard helps to conserve resources, save energy and reduce waste. Although its use in food packaging is limited due to the potential for migration, it remains an excellent choice for many other applications. All in all, recycled cardboard is an environmentally friendly and viable option that makes an important contribution to a greener future.
