Reuse to cut costs, cut carbon, close the loop
The cardboard conundrum
Every year, New Zealand businesses generate about 830,000 tonnes of fibre packaging yet one-third (around 280 000 tonnes) still ends up in landfill instead of being reused or recycled.
New Zealand may be viewed as a clean, green nation, but we still have our challenges with sustainability – especially when it comes to waste.
Every cardboard box that’s used once and thrown away keeps those numbers high – and forces companies to pay twice: first to buy new cartons, then to dispose of them.
reduce, REUSE, recycle
We aren’t only recyclers at Packaging Recyclers. Not the pulp-your-fibre kind, at least. We use a tried and true method that has been around for thousands of years: reuse.
Instead of treating cartons as disposable, we recover them from hundreds of NZ businesses, sort them, check them, and return them to circulation to other sustainability conscious companies, extending their life and shrinking the waste footprint of our suppliers and buyers.
We’re committed to ensuring that cardboard “waste” isn’t wasted, offering businesses the opportunity to cut out the middle men of recycling and buying new with the greener, more cost-effective option of investing in re-used boxes.
Reuse first, recycle later
Recycling is seen as the go-to solution for waste – but in the case of cardboard boxes it shouldn’t be thought of as the first step.
Recycling is important, but it’s not impact-free. The process of recycling uses significant water, energy, & has a large transport footprint – & then relies on combining used pulp with new fibre to make useable cardboard boxes again.
Reusing a box skips all of that …
When a cardboard box is still strong, clean and useable, keeping it in circulation is the smarter & better choice. It reduces the demand for new resources, reduces emissions, & avoids the energy intensive pulp process – our boxes go straight from one business to another, keeping value in the supple chain & reducing the environmental cost
Choose used boxes before new. Reuse gives each box a longer life.
Keeping resources in use for longer is a key aspect of the the Circular Economy which is a key business strategy for New Zealand's future. Cardboard Box reuse is one of the simplest ways that every business in NZ can contribute to meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, engage in the local circular economy.
The United Nations adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, setting clear targets for a fairer and more sustainable world by 2030.
Cardboard reuse directly advances several of these goals. Here are the ones our reuse model supports the most.
8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
Recovering and refurbishing boxes strengthens a home-grown reuse industry, creating skilled roles in logistics, inspection and quality control while keeping revenue in New Zealand.
12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Extending the life of every carton shifts supply chains from a linear take, make, waste model to a circular one that lowers raw-material demand and landfill volumes
13: Climate Action
Each box reused avoids emissions linked to harvesting trees, pulping fibre and shipping new cartons, helping businesses trim their Scope 3 footprint.
15: Life on Land
Reduced fibre demand eases pressure on working forests and biodiverse habitats, supporting healthier ecosystems and long-term resource security.
We partner with companies to support their sustainability goals.
Ready to get started?
At Packaging Recyclers we put reuse first. Every box we collect is carefully checked & ready for another life.
As New Zealand’s cardboard box reuse specialists we help businesses make real progress towards a truly circular Aotearoa.
Our commitment to sustainable packaging
We’re dedicated to reuse in NZ’s packaging supply chain. By providing high volume quality used cardboard boxes as a sustainable packaging option for NZ businesses we help power the local circular economy.
As leaders in commercial reuse in NZ, we’re committed to how we can all lower the environmental impact of packaging.
