@ jessicahyde / Fotolia
Creating an Environment for the Future
Over the years, Accurate Box has made great strides towards reducing our carbon footprint by adopting environmentally conscious policies, sustainable business processes, and laying the groundwork of a greener future. As a fourth-generation family business, we place great value in maintaining standards of respect and responsibility. Therefore, we are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to give back to our environment as well as the surrounding Paterson community.
Sustainability Matters
Each year, the sustainability team at Accurate Box sets goals to become a more conscious and sustainable packaging supplier. As a result, the sustainability team has laid the groundwork of our environmental values:
Manufacture Products That Are 100% Recyclable
At Accurate Box, we take care in making sure the customer receives the highest and strongest quality of box. All corrugated packaging made at our plant is 100% recyclable, and each box is created using environmentally friendly, certified vegetable-based inks.
Furthermore, in order to make our product the best it can be, Accurate Box uses a mix of both virgin and recycled paper. Although the number can vary by box shape, Accurate Box creates each product with about 70% recycled paper.
Under Accurate Box’s environmental policy, all paper suppliers are required to be certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and/or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).
Recyclable Vegetable Based Inks
All vegetable inks used in the manufacturing process at Accurate Box are certified by the National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers under the Bio-Derived Renewable Content Certification Program. In vegetable-based inks, vegetable oil, such as soybean or corn oil, is substituted for petroleum as the pigment carrier, reducing the number of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) released into the air during printing.
The Manufacturing Process
Sourcing consciously: Accurate Box Company sources paper from certified SFI, FSC and/or PEFC vendors. These suppliers are committed to maintaining, overseeing and improving sustainable forest lands while promoting forestry growth. Our paper is made of mixed hard and soft woods, including Birch, Eucalyptus and Southern Loblolly Pine, to make strong paperboard that is converted into durable packaging.
Re-invest Time and Resources Into a Greener Facility
Accurate Box takes great effort to dedicate time and funding back to our surrounding community for a cleaner and brighter future. Between 2015 and 2017, with the support of Grow NJ, Accurate Box invested approximately $19.8 million to renovate and expand to over 400,000 square feet.
As a result of the expansion, Accurate was able to create more space and improve portions of the original building. The entire new section was constructed under NJ green energy standards, which is the equivalent of LEED Silver. Additionally, the renovations gave Accurate Box the opportunity to remain in the Paterson community and retain more than 200 employees while creating over 50 new jobs.
In 2019, Accurate Box began another green project of installing solar panels on our roof. The entire system is 1 Mega-Watt and is capable of supplying up to 20% of Accurate’s electrical needs throughout its facility.
Investing in our Facility
Expansion improvements: Accurate Box took the steps to create a new state-of-the-art facility in accordance with NJ green energy standards, which is the equivalent of LEED Silver. All lighting installed in the new building is LED energy-efficient, and approximately 650 fixtures in the old building were converted from fluorescent lighting to LEDs in order to help reduce our carbon footprint. While investing in new products, Accurate Box replaced all gas-powered forklifts in the facility with battery operated forklifts.
Solar Panels at Accurate Box
Solar panel installation: Each year, Accurate Box and the Corporate Sustainability Team work hard to bring the company closer to a greener future. Over the course of six months, solar panels were installed on the roof of Accurate’s 400,000 sq. ft. New Jersey facility. The entire system is 1 Mega-Watt and is capable of supplying up to 20% of Accurate’s electrical needs throughout its facility. The use of these solar panels by Accurate means that we are reducing our carbon footprint even further, and we will be saving over 10% per year in electrical costs.
Use Strategic Manufacturing and Distribution Tactics to Reduce Our Carbon Footprint
Accurate Box Company understands the importance of consistently working hard and creatively to improve our practices. Our in-house research and development team headlines this objective with the regular evaluation of new high-performing and lightweight substrates. Consistent testing of these materials allows Accurate Box to remain on the leading edge of environmental stewardship (fiber reduction and increased recyclables) without compromising product performance.
Furthermore, Accurate Box understands the importance of packaging distribution to our customers. Accurate Box’s strategic east coast location offers competitively priced and environmentally conscious backhaul rates.
Additionally, our corrugated shipping materials are cost-effective, lightweight, recyclable, and versatile. Because our corrugated boxes can be used as most primary packaging, customers are able to cut down or eliminate secondary and/or excess packaging by creating custom boxes specifically designed to fit their product.
Competitive Backhaul Rates
Reducing the carbon footprint: Our backhaul rates and long-standing relationships with logistics providers allow Accurate Box to offer competitively reduced shipping prices for customers. The backhaul rates allow our products to be distributed nationwide without adding to the carbon footprint.
Reduction in Board Fiber
Stronger, lighter boxes use less material: A high-graphic corrugated box contains 15% less fiber than cartons. A carton made from 30-point virgin SUS board has a normal basis weight of 114 pounds whereas a high-graphic corrugated box has a normal basis weight of 97 pounds consisting of a top sheet, medium, and liner. This equates to a 15% fiber reduction for corrugated boxes. In the case of recycled fiber, our boxes represent a 19% fiber reduction.
