International Paper partners with Paper and Packaging Board on consumer message campaign

International Paper, a fiber-based packaging, pulp and paper product producer based in Memphis, Tennessee, has partnered with the Paper and Packaging Board on its Box to Nature initiative, encouraging box manufacturers to work with brands and e-commerce customers to print informative consumer messaging on boxes to increase residential recycling rates.

The Paper and Packaging Board, based in McLean, Virginia, says it developed the program to build preference and a favorable marketplace for paper and paper-based packaging. The organization says the industry-level effort is funded by 46 U.S. manufacturers and importers of paper products and overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

According to the Paper and packaging board, Box to Nature campaign messaging is designed to be informative, providing instructions on how to easily recycle, and memorable, using easy-to-recall messages to encourage recycling habits.

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“The responsibility for recycling is shifting, and it’s more important than ever to reinforce the consumer’s role in helping us recover more fiber to make more boxes,” the organization explains in an informative video detailing the program.

It describes the consumer experience in three steps:

• Consumers see the instructional mark on the box and scan a QR code to learn more about recycling.
• A branded, animated thank-you message appears, thanking the consumer for recycling.
• Consumers then are prompted to take an interactive quiz and learn recycling tips.

The Paper and Packaging Board says the Box to Nature graphic differs from other packaging recycling initiatives because it is meant specifically to address paper packaging recycling behavior—the bulk of e-commerce shipping boxes. The group says 75 percent of consumers tested indicated they would be more likely to recycle their e-commerce box after encountering the message and graphic.

Currently, the program solely is focused on corrugated boxes during its initial phase and will utilize three graphic sizes provided in an artwork kit. The organization says plate changes and additional artwork should “come at little to no cost to the customer,” noting the program is supported by the industry with a goal to spread recycling messaging on as many boxes as possible.