Cardboard Packaging
Cardboard is one of the most fundamental items in the packaging industry today. It has a virtually limitless range of applications, and has many qualities that make it an extremely appealing choice of packaging material when compared to the alternatives available.
Corrugated Cardboard Packaging
One of the main advantages to cardboard as a packaging material over other materials is that it is much cheaper to manufacture and produce. Corrugated cardboard packaging is made by simply gluing a sheet of heavy-duty paper to either side of a piece of fluted paper, creating the familiar sandwich like appearance. This can be achieved using starch based adhesives so there is little need for environmental concern in regards to the manufacturing process.
Cardboard Packaging
Cardboard packaging is also incredibly easy to tailor to the needs of the customer, without the manufacturer needing to incur much extra expense. It can easily be cut and shaped as desired, and is available in different thicknesses and strengths depending on what it is required for. For example, cardboard packaging manufacturers that make boxes that are to be used for transporting heavier goods can use double-walled cardboard, meaning there is an extra layer of fluting between the two outer sheets. Other materials such as plastic are in no way as cheaply and easily customisable as corrugated cardboard.
Cardboard does have some disadvantages however. Unless it is processed using polyethylene, as in the case of milk cartons and the like, it is not waterproof and is extremely susceptible to moisture damage. Plastic containers do not suffer from the same problem however, and are thus one possible alternative for use as storage containers in a damp basement. Cardboard is also extremely flammable and can be hard to repair once damaged.
Cardboard outstrips its competitors in terms of its uses, however. Cardboard boxes are ubiquitous in the world of packaging, and cardboard packaging supplies are widely available: cardboard packaging manufacturers make products for a wide variety of purposes. For example, large wardrobe shaped cardboard boxes that incorporate a cross-bar into their design are available for people who need to store clothes efficiently. Cartons made from paperboard, a type of cardboard that is usually treated to be waterproof, account for almost all of the juice cartons, milk cartons and cereal boxes that are manufactured today. Corrugated packaging can also be employed on a larger scale for use in the shipping sector, and almost all international couriers rely on cardboard shipping crates to transport goods.
On a smaller scale, cardboard mailing tubes are frequently used to transport documents, as their design prevents the documents from becoming damaged in transit.
Recycled Cardboard Packaging
Cardboard packaging is also recyclable and, in most cases, biodegradable. Plastic, for example, can claim none of these qualities, as both its production and its disposal create far more waste and environmental pollution. Recycled cardboard packaging most likely accounts for much of the cardboard packaging in circulation today, as it can be and is recycled judiciously worldwide, due to the ease with which one can perform cardboard recycling.