Sustainability
Sustainability isn't just part of our business — it IS our business. Every box we handle represents a commitment to a healthier planet.
Get a Free Quote
Tell us what you need — we'll respond within 24 hours
Numbers That Matter
Every statistic represents real environmental savings — trees left standing, water kept clean, and carbon kept out of the atmosphere.
Our Environmental Commitment
Box Recycle was founded on a simple but powerful idea: the packaging industry doesn't have to be wasteful. From the very first day of operations, our mission has been to prove that businesses can meet their packaging needs without contributing to deforestation, landfill overflow, or unnecessary carbon emissions. That founding principle still drives every decision we make — from the routes our trucks travel to the partners we choose to work with.
Every box that passes through our facilities is evaluated with sustainability in mind. Our team of trained inspectors determines whether each container can be reused as-is, refurbished for extended life, broken down for recycling, or processed for energy recovery. There is no scenario in which a box we handle ends up in a landfill. This zero-waste approach isn't an aspiration — it is a documented, audited operational standard that we maintain across every location.
We believe that environmental responsibility and strong business performance are not competing goals. Our clients save money by purchasing quality used packaging and by receiving fair value for their surplus boxes. At the same time, every transaction reduces the demand for virgin fiber, cuts manufacturing energy consumption, and prevents usable materials from becoming waste. It is a model where doing the right thing for the planet is also the smartest economic choice.
Our commitment extends beyond our own walls. We actively educate our clients and their teams on sustainable packaging practices, provide detailed environmental impact data with every transaction, and collaborate with industry organizations to raise the bar for the entire packaging sector. We believe that transparency and education are just as important as operational excellence when it comes to building a truly sustainable supply chain.
Looking ahead, we are investing in expanded processing capacity, smarter logistics technology, and deeper partnerships with recycling facilities nationwide. Our goal is not just to sustain our current impact but to multiply it — reaching more businesses, diverting more tonnage from landfills, and setting new benchmarks for what a truly sustainable packaging company looks like.
Our Approach
Four pillars guide our environmental commitment
Reuse First
Before recycling, we always prioritize reuse. A box that is reused avoids 100% of the manufacturing emissions that would be needed to create a replacement. Our inspection and grading process ensures used boxes are safe and effective for their next life.
Responsible Recycling
When a box truly reaches end of life, we ensure it is recycled through certified facilities. We maintain chain-of-custody documentation and guarantee zero landfill disposal for all materials we handle.
Carbon Offset
We track the carbon impact of every box we handle and provide our customers with detailed sustainability reports. Our operations are designed to minimize transportation emissions through optimized routing and load consolidation.
Circular Economy
We are building a truly circular packaging economy — where boxes move from user to user, and only enter recycling as a last resort. This model dramatically reduces the demand for virgin materials and the environmental cost of new production.
Carbon Footprint Reduction
We don't just talk about carbon savings — we measure, verify, and report them with precision.
How We Calculate Carbon Savings
Every box we process is tracked through our proprietary carbon accounting system. We calculate the emissions that would have been generated if a new box had been manufactured — including raw material extraction, pulping, manufacturing energy, and outbound shipping — and compare that against the actual emissions of our reuse or recycling process. The difference is your verified carbon saving, reported quarterly.
Fleet Optimization
Our transportation fleet is managed for maximum efficiency. We use GPS-based route optimization to reduce mileage, maintain strict vehicle maintenance schedules to ensure optimal fuel economy, and prioritize newer, lower-emission trucks for long-haul routes. These measures collectively reduce our fleet emissions by over 20% compared to industry averages.
Route Consolidation
Instead of running half-empty trucks, we consolidate pickups and deliveries across multiple clients in each service area. By matching nearby sellers and buyers, we cut the total number of trips required and ensure every load travels with maximum capacity. This alone prevents an estimated 800+ unnecessary truck trips each year.
Carbon Offset Partnerships
For the residual emissions we cannot eliminate, we partner with verified carbon offset programs focused on reforestation and renewable energy projects. Our offset portfolio is third-party verified and covers 100% of our net operational emissions. In 2024, our combined reduction and offset efforts resulted in over 15,000 tons of CO₂ kept out of the atmosphere.
Customer Carbon Reports
Every active account receives a quarterly sustainability report detailing the exact number of boxes reused, tons of CO₂ avoided, trees preserved, and water saved as a direct result of their partnership with Box Recycle. These reports are formatted for easy inclusion in your own ESG disclosures, corporate sustainability reports, and stakeholder communications. Our data is audit-ready and backed by documented methodology.
Zero Waste Program
We have a zero-landfill commitment — and we mean it. Here's what happens to every material that enters our facilities.
Reuse
Boxes and containers in good structural condition are cleaned, inspected, graded, and sent directly to a new buyer. This is the highest-value outcome — it avoids manufacturing entirely and delivers the greatest environmental benefit per unit. Approximately 60% of all materials we receive are suitable for direct reuse.
Recycle
Materials that cannot be reused — damaged panels, heavily printed boxes, contaminated containers — are baled and sent to certified recycling mills. These mills break the fiber down and reprocess it into new corrugated sheets. We maintain verified chain-of-custody from our facility to the mill, ensuring nothing is diverted to landfill.
Energy Recovery
For the very small fraction of material that is too contaminated or degraded even for recycling — typically less than 2% — we partner with waste-to-energy facilities that convert it into usable electricity. This final safety net ensures that absolutely nothing we handle reaches a landfill, ever.
Waste Stream Management for Clients
We don't just manage our own waste — we help our clients manage theirs. Our team works with your facility to design a customized waste stream plan that separates corrugated, plastic strapping, pallets, and other packaging materials at the source. We provide collection containers, scheduled pickups, and detailed reporting so you can track exactly how much material you're diverting from landfill. Many of our clients have achieved their own zero-waste certifications with our support.
Material Recovery Rates
Our facility-wide material recovery rate exceeds 99.8%. Of the total tonnage we process, approximately 60% is reused directly, 38% is recycled into new fiber, and less than 2% goes to energy recovery. We track these percentages monthly and publish them in our annual impact report. Our target for 2026 is to push the reuse fraction above 65% while maintaining our zero-landfill guarantee.
Sustainability Certifications
Our environmental practices are backed by recognized certifications, permits, and compliance standards.
SFI Certified Sourcing
Sustainable Forestry Initiative certified sourcing partner, ensuring all fiber originates from responsibly managed forests and verified recycled content.
FSC Recycling Partner
Forest Stewardship Council recognized recycling partner, maintaining full chain-of-custody for recovered fiber entering the recycled paper stream.
ISO 14001 Principles
Our environmental management system is built around ISO 14001 principles, with documented procedures for pollution prevention, waste minimization, and continuous improvement.
EPA Compliance
Full compliance with all applicable Environmental Protection Agency regulations, including RCRA solid waste rules, Clean Air Act standards, and stormwater management requirements.
State Environmental Permits
Licensed and permitted in every state where we operate, including solid waste handling permits, transportation permits, and recycling facility certifications.
Green Business Certified
Recognized as a certified green business, meeting rigorous standards for energy efficiency, waste reduction, pollution prevention, and sustainable business practices.
We undergo annual third-party audits to verify our compliance with all certifications and permits listed above. Audit summaries are available upon request for clients who need documentation for their own sustainability reporting, vendor qualification processes, or regulatory filings. Our compliance team is available to answer any questions about our environmental credentials.
Annual Impact Report Highlights
Key figures from our 2024 sustainability report, showing year-over-year progress and our roadmap ahead.
Year-Over-Year Improvements
- Reuse rate increased from 54% to 60%, reducing the volume of material sent to recycling
- Average truck load utilization improved from 78% to 86%, cutting per-unit transportation emissions
- Customer sustainability report adoption grew to 72% of active accounts
- Waste-to-energy fraction dropped below 2% for the first time, reflecting better upstream sorting
Goals for 2025-2026
- Reach 65% reuse rate by optimizing inspection processes and expanding buyer network
- Process 8,000+ tons of material annually, a 30% increase over 2024
- Launch an electric vehicle pilot program for short-haul pickups in 3 metro areas
- Achieve 90% truck load utilization across all routes through AI-powered logistics scheduling
- Provide sustainability reports to 100% of active accounts with automated carbon tracking
Our full 2024 Annual Impact Report is available for download and includes detailed methodology, facility-level breakdowns, third-party verification statements, and extended data tables. If you're a current client or prospective partner, contact our sustainability team to request your copy or schedule a walkthrough of our reporting process.
Request Full ReportHow You Can Help
Sustainability is a team effort. Here are actionable steps your business can take today to reduce its packaging footprint.
Choose Used Boxes
Opt for quality-inspected used boxes instead of ordering new. A used gaylord box performs identically to a new one at a fraction of the environmental cost.
Right-Size Your Packaging
Oversized boxes waste materials and increase shipping emissions. Work with our team to match your products with the smallest effective box size.
Set Up a Recycling Program
Establish a dedicated corrugated collection area at your facility. We offer free recycling bins and scheduled pickups to make it effortless.
Educate Your Employees
Train warehouse and shipping staff on proper box breakdown, sorting, and contamination avoidance. Educated teams recycle more and waste less.
Track Your Footprint
Use our sustainability reports to monitor your packaging footprint over time. Measurable goals drive real reductions in waste and emissions.
Partner With Sustainable Vendors
Choose suppliers who share your commitment to the environment. Ask vendors about their recycled content, waste policies, and sustainability certifications.
Reuse Internally First
Before sending boxes out for recycling, check if they can be reused for internal shipments, storage, or inter-facility transfers.
Consolidate Shipments
Fewer, fuller truckloads mean fewer emissions per box. Plan your logistics to maximize load efficiency and reduce unnecessary trips.
Not sure where to start? Our sustainability consultants can conduct a free packaging audit of your facility, identify the highest-impact opportunities, and create a customized action plan tailored to your business. Contact us to schedule your complimentary assessment.
Environmental Facts
The numbers behind the packaging industry reveal both the scale of the problem and the opportunity for change.
Manufacturing one ton of new cardboard requires 3 tons of trees
Recycling cardboard uses 75% less energy than making new cardboard
A single used box reused just one more time saves 1 lb of CO₂
The average box can be reused 3-5 times before needing recycling
Cardboard makes up 31% of total solid waste in US landfills
Using recycled boxes reduces water pollution by 35%
The US loses roughly 36 million acres of forest each decade to deforestation and development
US landfills are projected to reach capacity within the next 15-20 years at current disposal rates
Producing one ton of corrugated cardboard requires approximately 850 gallons of water
The water footprint of a single new shipping box is about 1.1 gallons from pulp to finished product
The overall recycling rate for corrugated cardboard in the US exceeds 90%, the highest of any packaging material
Approximately 80% of all products sold in the United States are shipped in corrugated containers
Sources: American Forest & Paper Association, EPA Advancing Sustainable Materials Management Report, Corrugated Packaging Alliance, TAPPI (Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry). Figures represent industry-wide averages and may vary by region and production method.
Join the Circular Economy
Every box you reuse makes a difference. Whether you're looking to buy quality used packaging, sell your surplus boxes, or set up a comprehensive recycling program, we're ready to help you make the switch to sustainable packaging.