Paper / Cardboard
Packforward - Packaging material and proces - Paper and cardboard
Paper is a commonly used packaging material with widely varying properties. The raw material used for the production of paper is pulp. This usually consists of processed wood fibres with added binding agents and additives to make them suitable for the production of paper. Other fibres, such as textile or grass fibres, can also be used or added. Paper forms the basis for a wide range of packaging materials, such as wrapping paper, paper bags, filter materials, solid and folding cardboard, corrugated cardboard, and pulp packaging. The choice for a specific type of paper and cardboard largely depends on the material's possible applications and its properties.
Up to a weight of 179 g/m², the material is generally called paper. From 180 g/m², it is known as folding cardboard. Material with an even higher grammage - from 500 g/m² - is called cardboard.
The European corrugated cardboard industry produces approximately 43.4 billion m2 per year, which is enough to cover the entirety of Switzerland. The European industry consists of approximately 412 manufacturers with 701 production sites.
In Europe, more than 400 kiloton of beverage cartons are put on the market every year, approximately 47% of which is eventually collected and recycled.
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Considerations when using paper and cardboard packaging
Advantages
- Paper and cardboard are made from renewable raw materials; the main component are wood fibres from trees. With sustainable and certified forest management, these trees are replanted and extract CO2 from the Earth's atmosphere as they grow.
- Paper and cardboard are excellently suited for recycling. Paper has a long tradition of collection and recycling. Paper and cardboard are collected from households in a variety of ways, for example via municipal collection services or by sports clubs.
- In the Netherlands, 83% of all new paper and cardboard is made using recycled paper.
Drawbacks
- Paper and cardboard are sensitive to moisture and offer limited barrier properties; for many packaging applications, a coating - e.g. a layer of plastic or metal - is therefore applied to the paper. This affects the recyclability of the material.
- The mechanical protection requires attention because of the risk of mechanical damage such as dents, tears, and susceptibility to moisture.
- Paper and cardboard packaging materials may contain unwanted contaminants, such as mineral oils.
Raw materials
Pulp forms the basis of paper and cardboard production. It consists of a combination of (raw) materials. These raw materials can be roughly divided into:
- (wood) fibres;
- water;
- product materials;
- process materials.
Pulp mainly consists of (wood) fibres and water. To make the pulp suitable for use and to achieve the desired level of quality for the paper and cardboard, additives are added to the pulp. These additives can be divided into product materials and process materials. In addition to wood fibres, a number of alternative fibres has been developed for the production of paper and cardboard, including bamboo, grass and minerals.
Wood is the (primary) source of paper and cardboard. There are fresh fibres and recycled fibres. Fresh fibres are wood fibres that are used for the first time. Used fibres are extracted from waste paper via recycling. There are many types of wood. Not all types of wood are suitable for the production of paper. Forest management is a crucial factor in the fight to curb climate change and preserve our planet's biodiversity. To this end, certifications for sustainable forest management were initiated.
Water plays an important role in the production of paper. Before the pulp is used to make paper, it consists of 99% water and 1% fibres. After being used for production purposes, the water is recycled, i.e. reused in the production process. Before eventually being disposed of, the water is first biologically and mechanically purified.
Production
Paper is made using a paper machine. Paper machines are roughly 100 metres long. The width of the paper sheet can range from six to eleven metres. The speed of a paper machine's paper sheet is approximately 500 to 1,000 metres per minute or thirty to sixty kilometres per hour. Cardboard consists of multiple layers of moist paper that are pressed together. A cardboard machine is approximately 125 metres long and is basically a combination of a paper machine and multiple sieves. Because of the thickness of the cardboard, the machine has a longer drying section than a regular paper machine. The width of the cardboard path is approximately three to five metres. The speed of a cardboard machine's cardboard sheet is approximately 300 to 400 metres per minute or eighteen to twenty-four kilometres per hour.
The production of paper is a relatively energy-intensive process. However, relatively high energy consumption does not necessarily equal a high CO2 emission level. A unique property of wood and paper helps to keep this level down, because CO2 is extracted from the Earth's atmosphere as forests regrow. Furthermore, the residual products of wood and paper can be used to generate bio-energy. Partly because of the use of this bio-energy, the paper industry can largely meet its own energy requirements.
Applications
Corrugated cardboard
Corrugated cardboard consists of one or more layers of corrugated paper. When combined with one or more layers of flat paper, these layers have a certain degree of rigidity or strength with impact-resistant properties. The individual layers of paper, known as liners, usually consist of strong types of paper. A distinction can be made between one-sided corrugated cardboard (a corrugated layer of paper attached to a smooth covering layer) and two-sided corrugated cardboard (a corrugated layer of paper with a covering layer on both sides).
The material offers excellent protection to various types of products, including food products. The rising popularity of online shopping and having products delivered to your doorstep has led to an increased demand for corrugated cardboard.
Folding cardboard
Folding cardboard is a flexible and sturdy material that is mainly used for consumer packaging. Folding cardboard usually consists of three (top, middle and bottom layer) or more layers of cellulose fibres (made from waste paper and wood). Each layer has its own composition. The layers are pressed together in the cardboard machine. The top of the folding cardboard is usually white and features a coating. Using various printing techniques, it is possible to achieve a beautiful print result. Folding cardboard can be treated to make it hydrophobic or oil-repellent.
Beverage cartons
Beverage cartons are used as a packaging solution for various types of liquid food products, including dairy products, fruit juices, water, soup and condiments. Beverage cartons largely consist of cardboard (75-80%). Thin layers of plastic are applied to the out- and inside of beverage cartons. These make the carton waterproof and protect the contents against outside influences. Some beverage cartons feature a thin (6.5 micrometres) layer of aluminium to help preserve products with a long shelf life, such as fruit juices, certain dairy products and water. This layer serves as an additional oxygen barrier, allowing the contents to be stored unrefrigerated for a longer period of time. Beverage cartons are lightweight and largely made using renewable resources.
Situation in various countries
Netherlands
Corrugated cardboard is the most-used form of transport packaging. Every year, more than one billion m2 of corrugated cardboard is produced in the Netherlands.
Packaging materials and process
When developing sustainable packaging materials, choosing the right material and packaging process is an important step. When choosing a material, you are basically also choosing a packaging process. This combination determines which packaging types you can produce.
Here is an example: suppose you want to package soup. You not only have to choose a material, for example glass, plastic or metal, but also a packaging type, for example a glass bottle, a glass jar, a plastic bag, or a metal can. Each of these options calls for a specific processing process, since filling a glass jar requires entirely different production lines than filling a flexible bag.
The choice for a sustainable packaging solution is therefore not only limited to the sustainability of packaging materials. In addition to the material itself, the packaging process and the logistical process also affect the sustainability. This section therefore contains both information about material selection and raw materials as well as points of attention for the packaging process, packaging systems, and logistics.
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When regarding a certain subject you will also find an overview of which network partners excel in this field and what they have published. You will also find (if applicable) which projects are currently taking place on the subject.
