Why companies use cardboard

With so many different kinds of shipping containers, it is curious as to why these companies choose to use cardboard boxes as their primary source for shipping containers. In this short article, we are going to talk about the advantages of these boxes and why they are so popular amongst the shipping industry. In my personal opinion, I’m glad that cardboard is the primary shipping container. I state this claim because of the advantages this material has over other forms of shipping containers. Additionally, this material can be made from recycled materials, so it a very eco friendly mode of transportation for items. 

Cardboard is a great material for shipping and storage because it is so light weight. The fact that it is a light weight material means that it helps reduce the cost of shipping some companies may face. It being light also helps with reducing carbon emissions because of the company that ships it will not need to take as many trips dropping off their packages. This material is so lightweight because it is made from paper. This is good as it allows for the boxes to be as light as possible without compromising the structural integrity. Cardboard is a rigid material that can take quite a bit of abuse. This is not only because it is made from a special paper but also because of the way it is made. 

The making of this material is a special yet simple one. A sheet of paper is folded many times. If you have ever tried to make a paper fan much like the traditional Japanese ones, then you’ll understand what I am talking about. Once that paper is folded like that, it is then sandwiched between two pieces of specially coated paper. The special paper allows for it to protect the items inside of the box. The paper is coated with a special wax at times. This was allows for the cardboard to repel any if not all water. This allows for any item that is to be put in the soon to be made box protected. 

The wavy paper we talked about previously is what gives the cardboard its strength and rigidity. Without this wave in between the walls of the cardboard, there is a chance that it will just fall apart. This is how old paperboard boxes were made. Back then, they did not discover this manufacturing process and were only using paper as a box with out any kind of real support. This was bad because the boxes usually fell apart. Additionally, they were not able to repel any water like today’s cardboard can. Without the special paper that has the coating, then any kind of water that would touch the box would possibly cause it to fall apart. 

In my opinion, the best part about these boxes is that they can be made from recycled materials. This is good because the more we use our trash to remake valuable items, we are slowly making sure there is less and less trash pollution in our world. This also helps reduce carbon emissions. Cardboard boxes are the best kind of shipping container because of all the benefits it possesses. I’m not sure what the shipping industry would look like if this material had not been discovered.