Hood Container joins P+PB program - Recycling Today

By Brian Taylor, Senior Editor

Atlanta-based Hood Container Corp. says it has joined the Box to Nature residential recycling program operated by the Paper and Packaging Board (P+PB).

Hood Container, which operates a mill in New Johnsonville, Tennessee, that makes containerboard and kraft paper, says the Box to Nature program is an initiative developed by P+PB through which “box manufacturers work with e-commerce brands to print a graphic on their boxes that encourages consumers to recycle.”

Adds Hood Container, “The Box to Nature graphic provides specific instructions on how to easily recycle (empty, flatten, recycle), and features a QR code that directs them to Box2Nature.org, where they will find memorable, easy-to-recall messages to encourage recycling habits.”

When the included message was tested before the program was launched, 75 percent of consumers indicated they would be more likely to recycle their e-commerce box after exposure to the graphic, says the packaging board manufacturer.

The goal of the program is to increase an estimated 40 percent residential box recycling rate in the United States and recapture more fiber to make new paper-based products, according to the firm.

In a document posted to its website, Hood Container says last year the corrugating medium produced at its mill was made with 57.4 percent recycled materials, with the balance of its feedstock coming from hardwood pulp.

Hood Container says brands that feature the Box to Nature iconography “also get a positive lift in perception among consumers due to the association with their choice to use sustainable, recyclable paper-based packaging.”

“Putting the Box to Nature graphic on every box not only helps your customers understand how easy it is to recycle properly and thanks them for doing so, but it also shows them that the brand is taking a positive step toward sustainability,” says Mary Anne Hansan, president of the P+PB.

She continues, “Increasing e-commerce deliveries have made residential recycling more important than ever for the industry at large. However, research found that two out of three consumers confess to not always recycling. We want to change that and make recycling a habit. Our partnership with Box to Nature is a big step in the right direction.”

The Washington-based P+PB, which describes itself as a group that promotes the use of paper products and paper-based packaging, has information about the Box to Nature program on its website.