Corrugated vs. Reusable Plastic Containers (RPCs)
Corrugated packaging excels over RPCs in a variety of ways.
The following information will help you make an informed choice when deciding between corrugated and RPCs.
- Made predominantly from trees, a renewable resource, in sustainably managed forests.
- Once recycled, corrugated box fibers are used 7-10 times to make new boxes and other paper products.
- Corrugated packaging is frequently lightweight and can reduce shipping costs.
- Corrugated has four printable panels for custom graphics and product information.
- Corrugated packaging is readily available from 1,155 plants in communities nationwide.
- Made predominantly from fossil fuels.
- RPCs weigh up to 4X more than corrugated; increasing freight costs.
- 10 studies show multi-use RPCs have inadequate sanitizing systems to consistently meet cleanliness standards.
- RPCs often have small labels for product identification.
- RPCs require washing and return transportation before reuse.
The corrugated industry has completed a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) study to bring a scientifically robust and transparent environmental assessment of corrugated containers and reusable plastic containers (RPC) to the produce industry and the public.
The LCA compares the environmental impact from extraction of raw materials to end-of-life for the two commonly-used produce container systems across eight of the highest volume produce items. Find more information on the results of the comparative life cycle assessment here.