Hood Container joins P+PB program

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

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.

“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," says the company, which operates a mill in New Johnsonville, Tennessee, that makes containerboard and kraft paper.

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, the company reports.

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.

In a document posted to its website, Hood Container says last year the corrugated 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 because of 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,” P+PB President Mary Anne Hansan says.

“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, a group that promotes the use of paper products and paper-based packaging, has information about the Box to Nature program on its website.