Paperboard is a material that is thicker than usual paper. It is extremely versatile and can be cut, creased or glued however it is needed to be. Laminated Paperboard packaging is a little bit stronger for larger items, and the colours can be variations of white，grey and brown. Paper board is used as packaging all over the world.

Grey Paper board Uses in Industry

Grey paper board is so diverse that it appears in many industries all over the world. The biggest uses are in the food, retail and pharmaceutical industries. The food industry uses paperboard in making: cereal boxes, milk cartons, juice cartons, cake packaging, frozen food packaging and long-life foods packaging. Food is a huge use of paperboard that we use in our lives every day. In the retail industry paperboard packages: perfume, cosmetics, game boards, toys and toiletries. Every time we purchase toothpaste or perfume, we are purchasing paperboard. In the pharmaceutical industry its used for prescriptions, over the counter drugs, hospital supplies and now with the new NHS delivery service; it’s used in postage. Everywhere we go there is paperboard in all different grades, shades and sizes.

Paperboard has a dramatic increase around special holidays too. Christmas brings lots of work to paperboard factories. All the toys, trees, food, decorations, postage and present packaging all use paperboard. Easter is also a big time for paperboard because of the Easter egg packaging. Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, St. Patricks Day and birthdays all bring their own uses for paperboard packaging. That’s a lot of packaging!

The Environmental Impact of Paperboard

With all its uses, you would think the paperboard industry creates tonnes of waste every year. It does, but only in the respect that individuals do not recycle the packaging once they have finished with it. Otherwise, it has very low impact on the environment. The industry itself uses either trees from sustainable forests, or recycled materials to create the paperboard. This means that the trees being cut down are being replaced at an appropriate rate to keep the impact on forests, plants, animals and nearby villages to a minimum. Sustainable means that there are enough trees being replanted to fulfil the demand for the paperboard. This also reduces the carbon footprint of the industry massively. The paperboard can be recycled when its use has been fulfilled and then can be transformed into new paperboard. Even when the paperboard goes into the landfills, it disintegrates much faster than plastics and is not as damaging to the surrounding environments. If more people and companies make a big effort to recycle all the material, paperboard would be one of the most eco-friendly products available as well as being cost effective and a sustainable packaging material.