What Is The History Of Corrugated Paper Packaging?

The invention of corrugated paper can be traced back to more than 100 years ago. Corrugated paper was not used for packaging at first. At first, corrugated paper was used for the lining of top hats. British hat manufacturers Edward G. Healy and Edward E. Allen suddenly got the inspiration to fold the paper into a wave shape and named it corrugated paper. The wave shape not only plays a supporting role, but also can absorb sweat and extend the service life of the top hat.

In 1871, American Albert Jones first used corrugated paper for packaging fragile items and applied for a patent for Corrugated Paper Packaging for transport packaging.

Jones first invented only single-layer corrugated paper. During the use process, it was found that single-layer corrugated paper sometimes piled up together, affecting the use. After continuous transformation, the current multi-layer corrugated paper was created. Multi-layer corrugated paper is based on single-layer corrugated paper, with a layer of cardboard added on the top and bottom, and then bonded with adhesive to form a continuous triangle. The structure is more stable and can withstand more pressure.

Robert Gair, an American printer, initially used corrugated paper to make paper bags. He accidentally discovered that by scratching the corrugated cardboard and folding it, he could make a box. Compared with the more common wooden boxes at the time, such a box was lighter, and thus the modern Corrugated Paper Packaging box was born.

Corrugated paper is mainly made of pulp mixed with grass and pine trees. It can be completely degraded in nature. Corrugated paper is also a good recycling material and is very environmentally friendly. Most of the Corrugated Paper Packaging circulating on the market is made of recycled pulp, with a content of more than 70%. In some more technologically advanced factories, the content of recycled pulp can even be close to 100%.

It is generally believed that the recycling and use of Corrugated Paper Packaging is 4-7 times, but in an experimental report released by Graz University of Technology in Austria in 2021, it was found that corrugated paper can be recycled 25 times, but this depends on the storage conditions after the recycling of the carton and the factory's restrictions on the recycling of the carton.

Even if it is not recycled, corrugated paper packaging can still be used for a lot of purposes: home storage boxes, new pet nests, and even good materials for DIY. In fact, as early as the 1960s, corrugated cardboard had become a raw material favored by furniture manufacturers because of its lightness. Among the many corrugated paper furniture, the most famous should be the Easy Edges series of furniture by Frank Gehry, the "father of deconstructivist architecture".

In daily life, we can send Corrugated Paper Packaging to the recycling station, and maybe it can be reborn. The advantages of cardboard boxes, such as biodegradable, recyclable, light, easy to disassemble, and low production cost, make corrugated cardboard very useful in many fields.