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

By Missy Smith

The Freedonia Group expects that demand for corrugated and paperboard boxes in the U.S. will rise 2.5 percent annually through 2012 to $39.9 billion, and sales of corrugated and solid fiber boxes will increase 2.7 percent to $28.8 billion. Growth will be supported because of its low shipping costs, and “demand will also be supported by the good environmental profile of corrugated boxes, which will become increasingly advantageous as interest in sustainable packaging continues to rise,” says the report.