Discover your next big idea at PACK EXPO Las Vegas this September
Experience a breakthrough in packaging & processing and transform your business with solutions from 2,300 suppliers spanning all industries.
REGISTER NOW & SAVE

Corrugated plays pivotal role in e-commerce supply chain equation

The packaging industry needs to get a clear picture of where the growth is, and the public needs to learn about environmental footprint.

Dennis Colley, FBA
Dennis Colley, FBA

Determining the number of “new” corrugated boxes entering the supply chain is not so easy. In many cases that very same box from the retail shelf is being reassigned to residential delivery.

“It is a popular misconception that if e-commerce is growing 15 to 20 percent a year, corrugated must be growing at the same pace,” says Dennis Colley, President and CEO of the Fibre Box Association.

“The data is complex and it’s difficult to quantify trends. We are working with transportation and delivery companies to get a clearer picture of how many of those packages delivered are in corrugated boxes ,” Colley says.

First, there are other materials being used such as flexible plastic pouches or paper-based envelopes. One of Amazon’s levels is SIOC (ship in its own container) which does not call for any “new” boxes to be sold at all. SIOC does lend itself to theft as contents are advertised as the box sits on the front porch. So now, sometimes an outer opaque wrap of flexible film is applied, but it is essentially the same box that sat on the shelf at the big box store.

Second, a lot of really cool social media promotions are scoring brand awareness and growth for smaller and mid-size companies, often with digital printing in the equation, but the targets tend to be smaller, well-defined market niches, and the promotion is often time sensitive so volumes are not huge.

“Basically, it might be the same 100 boxes that sat on a shelf at a club store, but now they are distributed to 100 homes across the region.” It’s many times redistribution of the boxes, and not necessarily growth in corrugated sales. But it causes the public to see more packaging being delivered on the door steps.

Break out of the ordinary: see what’s new in packaging & processing!
At PACK EXPO Las Vegas, you’ll see machinery in action and new tech from 2,300 suppliers, collaborate with experts and explore transformative solutions. Join us this September to experience a breakthrough in packaging and processing.
REGISTER NOW AND SAVE
Break out of the ordinary: see what’s new in packaging & processing!
Annual Outlook Report: Sustainability
The road ahead for CPGs in 2025 and beyond—<i>Packaging World</i> editors review key findings from a survey of 88 brand owners, CPG, and FMCG readers.
Download Now
Annual Outlook Report: Sustainability