Due to Covid-19, a number of industries have halted production; the UK cardboard industry is one that is temporarily hit. The current cardboard shortage was predicted by the recycling association all the way back in March.
Why is there a shortage?
Due to the current Pandemic a lot of large supply chain leaders have had to stop or reduce production in order to keep their staff safe and those that are being produced abroad are either majorly delayed in being imported or companies are being charged triple of what they would normally pay in port fees.
Another major factor in the cardboard shortage is due to the closure of recycling centres, with these long-lasting closures people have resorted to illegal backyard burning of material as they have nowhere to dispose of their waste. This not only unhealthy for our environment due to the toxins being released but it also results in less material being recycled in the UK and new material having to be imported, which leads to a knock-on effect for further delays.
Cardboard is a vital tool for all industries, most of what we consume on a day-to-day basis such as food and drink all come in cardboard at one point. This shortage has taught us that we as a country should invest more in recycling and reinvesting into cardboard.
The Solution
We understand so many of our customers may struggle without their packaging essentials, so we have put together a few examples of how you can stay sustainable whilst substituting cardboard during this shortage.
This may result in you having to subsidise more innovative packaging ideas, such as Eco-friendly padded envelopes. Take a look at how we have utilised our corrugated and honeycomb envelope below.
1 comment
Ordered 10×14 recycled mailer, still go through large letter boxes. Good quality fair price, big saving on postage