Paperboard is the only infinitely renewable packaging material because it comes from a natural resource that can be continuously renewed. Paperboard is inherently sustainable since forests use solar power for growth, are nourished by rainfall, capture and store carbon and are totally recyclable.

• For every tree harvested from a well managed forest in the US, five more are planted in its place.
• The forest products industry plants 1.7 million trees per day, more than 3 times what is harvested. As a result, the US has roughly the same amount of forestland as it did in 1900.
• The estimated annual net growth of forestland is 36% higher than the volume of annual tree removals.

Paperboard packaging is reused and recycled more than any other packaging material

• In 2009, 53.4% of the paper consumed in the US was recovered for recycling compared to the recovery rate for metal (36%), glass (22%), and plastic (7%). 
• According to the Paperboard Packaging Council, (PPC), “paper and paperboard accounts for a staggering 58% of all materials diverted from the municipal solid waste stream for recycling and composting.”
• Not only can paper be recycled up to seven times, it can also be biodegraded, composted or incinerated to produce energy.
• The average paper and pulp mill uses over 50% renewable energy to make electricity so the industry is largely self-sufficient for its own energy needs.

Winston Packaging only uses raw materials from well managed forests who use renewable forestry practices. We are one of only a few packaging companies in the US to be chain of custody certified to  FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative).

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