Beyond Recycling
The traditional economy is linear: take resources, make products, use them, throw them away. A circular economy aims to keep products and materials in use for longer and to design out waste where possible.
For packaging, this means moving beyond make, use, recycle to make, use, reuse, and eventually recycle.
The Packaging Hierarchy
Not all end-of-life options are equal. A common way to rank them, from most to least preferred:
- Reuse as-is. A used box becomes another shipping box.
- Repair and reuse. A lightly damaged box is reinforced and returned to service.
- Repurpose. A shipping box becomes a storage bin or craft material.
- Recycle. The box is pulped and reformed into new paper products.
- Compost. Clean cardboard can be composted where that is allowed.
- Landfill. Materials are lost, and buried cardboard can release methane.
Where Portland Boxes Fits
Portland Boxes is a referral service, not a box handler. We take requests from Portland, Oregon and the metro area and pass them to partner suppliers. If you want used boxes, that supports step 1. If you have boxes to sell or recycle, a partner supplier can tell you whether they suit reuse or recycling, which covers steps 1 and 4. Prices, terms, and pickup are set by the supplier.
Why Businesses Look at Circular Packaging
The reasons are practical as well as environmental. Reuse can lessen reliance on new supply, it gives customers a straightforward story about packaging, and it may help as packaging rules develop. Producer responsibility rules for packaging change, so check current regulations for what applies to your business.
Getting Started
Adopting circular packaging does not require a massive overhaul. Start by:
- Using used boxes for non-customer-facing applications.
- Selling, donating, or recycling your used boxes rather than trashing them.
- Right-sizing to reduce material per shipment.
- Tracking your waste to find what can be reduced.
Every box reused is a step in the right direction.