In the Loop Newsletter: October 26, 2026

27 Oct, 2026

Beyond the Box: The role of cardboard in a circular economy

Every day, cardboard helps move products from manufacturers to businesses, schools, and homes. What happens after the box is unpacked?

This month, we’re exploring the humble cardboard box, an everyday item that is often taken for granted, yet offers a clear example of the circular economy in action. With the right recovery and recycling systems in place, its valuable fibers can be recycled back into new cardboard boxes, demonstrating how a simple, familiar material can be kept in circulation and its value preserved.

Cardboard is one of the few waste streams that can be recycled back into the very same product; a new cardboard box, making it a truly circular material.

Mini Deep-Dive: From Used Boxes to New Beginnings

The benefits of recovering and recycling cardboard extend beyond keeping waste out of landfills. Recycling cardboard helps conserve natural resources, reduces the need for virgin fiber, and provides manufacturers with a valuable source of recovered material. According to the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), in 2025, more than 90,000 tons of cardboard were recycled each day in the United States, demonstrating the scale and maturity of the existing cardboard recycling system.

At the start of the recycling process, used corrugated boxes are broken down into pulp and transformed into the paperboard used to manufacture new shipping boxes, moving boxes, and e-commerce packaging. Rather than cutting down additional trees to create new materials, recycling allows valuable fibers to be recovered and reused. According to the Fibre Box Association, the average cardboard box in the U.S. contains approximately 52% recycled material.

However, cardboard recycling isn’t without its challenges. Excessive moisture, food contamination, and certain non-paper materials can affect the quality of recovered fibers. Additionally, fibers gradually shorten and weaken through repeated processing, meaning some virgin fiber must continue to enter the system to maintain the strength and quality required for new products.

Did you know a cardboard box can typically be recycled five to seven times?

This is circularity in its truest form: a used product becoming a new product of the same kind. It represents recycling at its best, fulfilling its intended purpose by turning what was once considered waste into raw material for its next life.

Words of Wisdom

“Recycling is not just an obligation, it’s an opportunity to make a difference.”

– Justin Trudeau, Former PM, Canada

What’s Up in the Market?

Recycled Fiber Demand Remains Strong

As brands seek more recycled content in packaging, manufacturers continue balancing sustainability goals with performance needs. According to Packaging Dive, recycled fiber use in U.S. containerboard has been on the rise since 2012, increasing from 46% that year to 56% in 2025.

Source: Packaging Dive, October 12, 2026

California Expands Its Focus on Packaging Recyclability

California’s packaging regulations are bringing recyclability into sharper focus. A September report from Resource Recycling highlighted how established carton recycling systems compare with the challenges of recovering flexible plastic film.

Source: Resource Recycling, September 4, 2026

Cardboard is an essential vehicle in a successful recovery system for Close the Loop, making it possible to safely, securely and efficiently transport returned product and material for recycling. 100% of the cardboard received at Close the Loop is recycled with an average of 675 tonnes per year. Close the Loop is proud to partner with PrintReleaf (www.PrintReleaf.com), a company that helps businesses offset the environmental impact of their paper and cardboard. Over the seven years of our partnership, Close the Loop has reforested over 12,000 trees, extending the environmental benefits of our work beyond the recycling process itself.

Employee Spotlight: Tammy Georges

This month, we’re spotlighting Tammy Georges, who has been part of the Close the Loop team for over 18 years. To Tammy, sustainability is an important aspect of her life and work. “It means leaving a planet and lifestyle to the future that improves all aspects of what this planet can create and provide.”

In her role, Tammy oversees the fufilment of over 1000 Close the Loop collection box kits each month, and helps ensure used cardboard and damaged kit boxes are collected for recycling within the warehouse. As she explains, “it is just one step that Close the Loop takes to lighten the load on Earth.”

Tammy also recognizes the broader environmental impact, noting that recycling cardboard reduces the need for natural resources. “Trees produce our oxygen, which we use to lessen the impact on the world around us. The unseen resources that support us.” Through her work, Tammy helps demonstrate how everyday materials and small actions support Close the Loop’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and a more circular future.

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