Renewable, Recyclable, Reusable.
The Responsible Package initiative raises awareness that paper and paper-based packaging is renewable, recyclable, and reusable. Packaging like paperboard, corrugated cardboard, and paper bag products are reliable, economical, and a responsible choice!
let’s work together.
After use, remember to place paper and paper-based packaging in the recycling bin instead of the trash can, or find a creative way to reuse it. Spread the word to your family, friends, classmates, and community members about the responsible choice. Together, we can make a difference!
CLICK HERE to see how you can be part of the paper lifecycle at home, school, and throughout your community.
Education plays an important role in the papermaking process.
The Responsible Package curriculum includes classroom activities, family take-home materials, and a family recycling pledge to raise awareness about paper and paper-based packaging and to encourage recycling and reuse. We encourage you to incorporate as many lessons as possible into your classroom and to engage your students’ families by sending home the family take-home materials and recycling family pledge and directing them to explore this website.
teacher & family resources
Invite your students and their families to become ambassadors of change in your school and community. We encourage you to implement these free downloadable resources in your classroom.
In-Class
Materials
Family Take-Home
Letter (Spanish)
Family Take-Home
Materials
Recycling
Family Pledge
Additional Lessons
(Archive)
your role in the paper lifecycle.
Paper and paper-based packaging are made from trees, a renewable and sustainable resource. Tree farmers plant, grow, harvest, and replant trees just like farmers who grow other agricultural crops. By using paper and paper-based packaging, you are supporting tree farmers and giving them a reason to continue to grow trees on nearly 500 million acres of working forests in the U.S. – that’s two-thirds of America’s forests!
Check out the lifecycle of paper below
and see why it’s renewable.
choose paper-based packaging.
it’s the responsible choice!
Paper-based packaging is a versatile and cost-efficient method to transport, protect, and preserve items you use every day. You can help keep the cycle going by using, reusing, and recycling any of the items below.
FLOUR / SUGAR
PAPER BAGS
SHIPPING
BOXES
PAPER SHIPPING
ENVELOPES
PAPER
GROCERY BAGS
CORRUGATED
BOXES
JUICE / MILK
CARTONS
PAPER CUPS
SHOE BOXES
CEREAL BOXES
LUNCH BAGS
PAPER TOWEL OR
TOILET PAPER TUBES
DOG FOOD
BAGS
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PAPER-BASED PACKAGING
Delivering Life . . . Responsibly.
pledge to recycle.
Paper-based packaging accounts for nearly three-quarters of all packaging materials recovered for recycling, totaling about 30 million tons. Do your part and take the family recycling pledge today!
Recycling Family Pledge
Keep it dry. Keep it clean. Keep it in a bin!
96% of Americans have access to community curbside and/or recycling drop-off paper recycling programs. Remind your family members to recycle all eligible items. To find out what items can and cannot be recycled and what your local recycling collection schedule is, check with your local community. Keep your local recycling schedule in a visible place in your home. Establish a bin for recyclable items and assign a family member to prepare and take your recycling items to the curb or drop-off facility.
Videos make everything easier…
so this is totally worth 1 minute & 34 seconds!
Improving Paper Recycling
get creative & reuse!
There are so many ways to reuse paper and paper-based packaging. Here are a few activities to get you started. You can reuse:
> Milk, tissue, or other paper-based cartons and participate in TICCIT™, a program highlighting the renewability and sustainability of paper and paperboard packaging.
> An empty paper-based carton to plant a tree seed or native sapling. When planted in the ground, the carton provides protection and a natural water funnel for the new tree. As the tree grows, the carton biodegrades.
Visit www.paperbox.org/TICCIT for more information.
> Newspapers or magazines as wrapping paper or to make ribbons.
> Paper towel or toilet paper tubes to engage kids in active play and create art projects such as kaleidoscopes, paper vases, or binoculars.
> Shoeboxes for keepsakes and storage.
> Corrugated boxes to organize toys, art supplies, and other household items. Or have some fun and make a fort, playhouse, or costume!
the responsible news.
CLICK BELOW FOR ADDITIONAL NEWS
& UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION
The Responsible Package’s sponsoring organizations
The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) is the national trade association of the pulp, paper, packaging, tissue and wood products manufacturing industry. Our members make products that people use and need every day — products that are used for communications, education, food preservation and storage, hygiene, product protection, and shelter and homes.
The Independent Packaging Association is uniting and celebrating the success of inspired, independent packaging companies. We are a growing membership association which has served independents since 1974.
The Carton Council is an industry organization committed to grow carton recycling in the U.S. By promoting both recycling technology and local collection programs, as well as growing awareness that cartons are recyclable, we work to limit the number of cartons that become waste. We’ve had significant success in the past seven years, helping to bring carton recycling to over 64 million households or more than 60 percent of them in the United States.
The Corrugated Packaging Alliance (CPA) is a joint initiative of The Independent Packaging Association, the American Forest & Paper Association, the Fibre Box Association and TAPPI. CPA promotes the benefits of corrugated packaging.
The Fibre Box Association (FBA) is a non-profit trade association representing North American corrugated packaging manufacturers. The association represents more than 95% of US industry shipments and strives to grow, protect and enhance the overall well-being of the industry by providing member-valued programs and services.
The Paper Shipping Sack Manufacturers’ Association (PSSMA) is the national trade association of U.S. producers of multiwall shipping sacks.
The Renewable Bag Council (RBC) is a coordinated effort by Kraft paper producers and converters to promote paper bags as the preferred choice for use in retail and grocery outlets.
TAPPI is the leading association for the worldwide pulp, paper, packaging, tissue and converting industries and publisher of Paper360°, Tissue360° and TAPPI Journal. Through information exchange, events, trusted content and networking opportunities, TAPPI helps members elevate their performance by providing solutions that lead to better, faster and more cost-effective ways of doing business. It has provided management training and networking to the industry’s leaders for more than 100 years.
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