The custom corrugated boxes and retail packaging design industry is one of the largest in the country. It’s an aspect of products not many people give much thought about. They can tell you everything about the stuff inside, but not many people know anything about the stuff that protects and houses them. For instance, most people don’t know the difference between cardboard and corrugated boxes. It’s kind of a sore spot for people in the industry. With respect to that, here are three facts about the material and products.

1.) Environmental: A lot of people don’t realize just how environmentally-friendly corrugate and cardboard can be. In fact, 91% of all containerboard produced in the U.S. in 2012 was recovered and recycled. Most corrugated boxes in general are made with about 46% of recycled material, which has low impact on things like greenhouse gases, acidification, and non-renewable energy. For these reasons it’s one of the best custom packaging solutions for many different circumstances.

2.) Industry: Corrugated packaging has been the cost-effective, preferred choice for the last 100 years or so. Overall, there are over 70,000 people currently working in the corrugated industry in the United States. It’s the biggest division of the packaging industry overall with more than 1,500 plants in North America alone. The fact that it’s relatively environmentally sound will only help it remain a large part of the economy going forward.

3.) Consumer Influence: Overall, about 70% of purchasing decisions are made in the store. Packaging Digest recently reported on research that shows consumer decision making is down to five seconds at the retail shelf. This means people spend very little time debating between similar products, which makes the design that much more important. There are many ways to design the corrugated packaging of a product to make it more visually appealing to customers and with this information, more and more companies will aim to do just that.

The world of corrugated boxes and packaging material is a unique sector that not many know much about. Take some of this information and impress your friends the next time you’re in the grocery store or signing for a package in the mail.