Paperboard itself is made from a renewable resource, but converters need to focus on the whole package.

By Missy Smith

Leflar cites studies reporting that only a small percentage of U.S. consumers make purchasing decisions based on environmental concerns. “I don’t know if convincing consumers that sustainability is important is the best leverage point today,” she says. “What is more important to consider is consumption of our natural resources. If companies are not assessing their fossil-fuel use or greenhouse-gas emissions and a carbon tax is levied, they are going to be scrambling. If companies do not consider where their raw materials are going to come from for the manufacture of their products in the future, then as populations grow and consumption increases, they will not have the materials they need to stay in business. This is less of a consumer-driven issue and more driven by the limitations of the natural resources we have when human needs and business needs are beginning to overlap and there are not enough resources for everything.”