Did you know that the U.S. recycles enough paper to fill a fifteen-mile-long run of boxcars each year? Or that an average of 340 pounds of paper per person is recovered for recycling annually? That’s the exact equivalent of an adult black bear! Far from wasteful, paper is one of the most recycled and recyclable products today.
During PPC’s biannual Folding Carton Boot Camps, team members from Graphic Packaging International teach attendees all about one of the most common and important recycled substrates in our industry: Coated Recycled Board (CRB). Based on our learnings from Boot Camp, here’s what you need to know about CRB:
The Anatomy of CRB
As you might suspect, CRB is made from recycled fibers—those recovered from paper manufacturing and converting facilities as well as post-consumer sources. But did you know that CRB is comprised of many layers of different recycled materials?
The first layer of recycled material in CRB is called the top liner. Clay-coated for printability, this layer is comprised of white fibers from mixed office paper, envelopes, bleached sulfate carton trimmings, coated books and publications, and certain magazine sections and trimmings. The select white waste that forms the top liner contributes to the board’s bright, easily printable surface.
The next, thicker layer is known as filler ply(s) and consists primarily of material from Old Corrugated Containers (OCC), which are packaging for commercial and industrial facilities including big-box stores like Target, Walmart, Lowe’s, CVS, Save-A-Lot, and more. This layer also includes material from used OCC paper cores as well as rejected cartons and trimmings from carton plants. Rather than adding an aesthetic effect like the top liner materials, filler ply materials impart strength and durability on the board.
The back liner is the final layer of CRB. Back liner materials are sourced from newspapers, sales flyers, ads, inserts, and similar advertising materials, as well as Solid Unbleached Sulfate (SUS) and Double Lined Kraft (DLK).
When you consider all the layers, it’s amazing how many recycled materials can go into creating a single sheet of CRB!
How CRB is Used
CRB is a popular paperboard substrate for making folding cartons. This recycled board is especially useful if you’re designing for products such as:
- Dry foods (cereal, crackers, lightweight frozen foods, pop tarts)
- Dry bakery products (donuts, cake, muffins)
- Paper products (facial tissues, napkins)
- Hardware
- Retail cartons
Not only is CRB made on a variety of machine types and styles, but it is also often one of the least expensive grades of recycled board. Versatile and cost-effective, CRB is a very important resource for the folding carton industry.
How We Can Make Even More Recycled Board
To make even more CRB and other types of recycled board, we can all help by trying to reduce the amount of wastepaper, or contaminated paper, that enters the recycling system. Paper in the recycled fiber stream can be contaminated by various items like glass, metal, plastic, general garbage, wax, chemical bags, or rubber. We should all advocate for recycling practices that yield clean, uncontaminated fibers. The more clean paper we can collect, the more recycled board we can make!
For example, dual-stream recycling programs allow consumers to separate paper in a different bin than plastics and bottles. Unfortunately, single-stream programs, where all materials go into the same container—have increased in popularity over the past years. This co-mingling of paper and other materials is how wastepaper can enter the recycling stream, limiting the amount of recycled paperboard we can make.
Ready to learn more about recycled paperboard and other materials and processes in the manufacture of folding cartons? Check our events page for the next Folding Carton Boot Camp, held in the Fall (virtual) and the spring (in-person)! Ideal for anyone new to cartons as well as non-plant personnel with limited experience, Boot Camp covers the entire converting process, from sustainable forest to the store shelf.