Corrugated Cardboard: Essential Packaging in Society

Corrugated cardboard is fundamental to the packaging industry and society. Its flexible application makes it essential as secondary—and often primary—packaging that protects and transports consumer goods and products.

The largest printing and converting event in the Americas encompasses corrugated cardboard and various sectors of the paper and printing industry. At ExpoPrint & ConverFlexo Latin America, visitors find everything from packaging and label printing equipment to suppliers of supplies and materials.

Growth of the Corrugated Cardboard Market

The packaging sector continues to grow, presenting optimistic prospects for the future of the packaging, label, and tag industry. Corrugated cardboard grows alongside societal changes, particularly with the rise of e-commerce.

It’s increasingly common to shop online. According to recent research by Smithers, online sales exceeded USD 5.5 trillion globally in 2023. The corrugated industry accounts for about 80% of this e-commerce demand, as cardboard boxes are essential for deliveries.

The corrugated box and cardboard market was valued at USD 252.16 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach USD 336.61 billion globally by 2026, with a CAGR of 4.7% during the forecast period 2021-2026. Empapel, an organization that brings together Brazilian corrugated cardboard companies, also recorded excellent results in the Brazilian market.

Brazilian corrugated cardboard companies are making mega-investments. In 2023, Klabin announced a BRL 12.9 billion investment, the largest private investment in Paraná’s history. Other companies, such as WestRock, Smurfit Kappa, Irani, and Penha, continue to make significant investments in structures for corrugated box production.

It’s worth noting that some of these boxes feature printing, and few companies capitalize on the enormous potential of corrugated boxes as large-scale advertisements. This represents a huge opportunity for suppliers to showcase to brand owners all the possibilities in corrugated cardboard box printing.

Sustainability and Corrugated Cardboard

Corrugated boxes are evolving and are essential in this new era. They have gone beyond being mere "boxes" and have become elements of transportation, safety, and communication.

The major benefit is that the corrugated box is sustainable and highly recyclable, which is valuable for global companies to become more environmentally friendly and meet sustainability goals and ESG concepts.

Flexographic and Digital Printing on Corrugated Cardboard

The process for high-volume production and printing of corrugated cardboard is through flexographic printing. These are large-scale structures that ensure precise production of boxes of all sizes and shapes.

At ExpoPrint & ConverFlexo Latin America, we will showcase items essential for converting corrugated cardboard packaging, such as pre-press equipment and supplies, including photopolymer plates, inks, solvents, varnishes, and more.

In addition to conventional printing, digital printing on corrugated cardboard is now available, offering more color options and variable data capabilities for on-demand production in special campaigns. Although highly efficient for smaller runs, digital corrugated printers today can also handle industrial-scale runs for larger campaigns.

In digital box printing, digital printers allow for maximum customization of corrugated cardboard packaging. This extends beyond "square boxes"—digital printing is also used on corrugated pizza boxes and increasingly on corrugated bags, especially for food delivery.

Benefits of Using Corrugated Cardboard for Packaging

Generally, corrugated cardboard is not associated with high-tech solutions, although the material is produced using advanced engineering software and a unique manufacturing system. Corrugated cardboard is made using a wave-shaped, corrugated paper sandwiched between two liner boards.

This sophisticated manufacturing process is crucial to ensure the material supports weight, resists moisture, and is a sustainable packaging solution.

Corrugated cardboard for packaging can be customized to accommodate almost any consumer goods type, from pharmaceuticals to food, and is widely used by the industry. It is a product that helps reduce costs due to its recyclable properties.

Protective Packaging

The structurally stable design of corrugated cardboard packaging offers extra cushioning for all kinds of products, keeping items protected during long-distance transportation and protecting them from handling and load shifts.

While most corrugated cardboard boxes are constructed with only one layer of corrugated paper, the packaging varies in size and material thickness, depending on the level of protection required and the durability of the packaging.

Fragile contents, such as glass, electronics, and chemicals, stay protected with corrugated packaging. Corrugated cardboard has wear-resistant qualities, keeping the packaging intact and shielding the contents from exposure.

For food items, corrugated packaging ensures product conservation during transport, protecting it from moisture and keeping it fresh upon delivery.

Customized Corrugated Cardboard Packaging

With the variety of corrugated cardboard types available in the market—featuring characteristics like adhesives, coatings, flame-retardant treatments, etc.—this packaging type is ideal for maintaining product integrity in any segment, as well as meeting transportation and storage needs.

The design can be a basic construction for simple solutions, a complex design for specific needs, and folded into various shapes and sizes to accommodate a wide range of usage requirements.

The printing options for corrugated cardboard rolls are numerous and highly customizable, allowing for direct, colorful, high-resolution printing. For all these reasons, corrugated cardboard boxes can be customized to any product specification, making them an extremely reliable packaging choice.

Corrugated cardboard is also widely used in the production of point-of-sale displays. If you look closely, you’ll find many POS displays in supermarkets using corrugated cardboard. Furthermore, the corrugated box itself is being used as a POS display, with outstanding quality, vibrant colors, and life-like graphics.

Profitable and Sustainable

Corrugated cardboard rolls have a low cost, making them one of the most affordable box options available on the market. This is due to the low production and labor costs involved in manufacturing corrugated cardboard and the lightweight material that keeps shipping and transportation costs economical.

The flexibility of using cardboard for storage and advertising helps keep costs low. Corrugated materials promote environmental awareness, as they can be made from recycled materials like used boxes. Additionally, corrugated boxes can be folded for future storage and use in offices, stores, or homes.

Sources:
Smithers - Trends Changing the Corrugated Packaging Market
Mordor Intelligence - Corrugated and Paperboard Boxes Market