Corrugated Boxes: Their Board Scores 7.2 out of 10 for Recyclability, Second Among 49 Materials in Colombia

Corrugated board scored 7.20 out of 10 for recyclability potential, the second-highest score among 49 packaging materials assessed in Colombia. Only clear PET, the transparent plastic, ranked higher, at 7.60. The figure comes from the 2025 report of Visión Circular, the packaging collective of Colombia’s National Business Association (ANDI).

None of the 49 materials reached the high-potential category, which starts at 8.0. Corrugated board landed in the medium-high band, from 7.0 to 7.9, with only three others: clear, amber and green PET. At the other end, 23 materials were rated low. The study gathered input from players across the value chain in 8 regions covering 27 departments and Bogotá.

The score is not a fixed property of the board: a box’s design and specifications also count. ANDI’s recyclability methodology, in its first edition from 2024, measures it with nine variables: supply and demand, design, specifications, generation conditions, infrastructure, education, profitability, regional coverage and regulatory incentives.

Why does the board in corrugated boxes score so well?

Corrugated board is a single material with established recovery chains, which makes its collection, sorting and recycling more efficient. That is how Visión Circular summed it up in the post presenting the study, which named PET, high-density polyethylene and corrugated board as the leaders in recyclability potential.

Within the board family itself, scores vary widely depending on how the packaging is made. Folding carton, the thin board used for product boxes, scored 6.30; beverage cartons, which combine several materials, 6.40; and laminated board, 2.50.

Which design choices help a corrugated box keep that potential?

For materials with medium and medium-high potential, such as corrugated board, the study recommends better separation of components and standardized colors and formats. Visión Circular’s post boils it down to three ecodesign criteria, meaning design with recycling in mind: compatible adhesives, fewer complex inks and separable packaging.

For low-potential materials, the report calls for removing metallized layers and permanent varnishes and using recycling-compatible inks and adhesives. In a printed box, those are finishing decisions made at the quotation stage, before production: the type of lamination, the varnish, glued plastic windows or the closure adhesive.

What gets mixed with corrugated board also matters after delivery. ANDI’s Recycling Committee warns that mixing beverage cartons, which contain plastic and metal, into corrugated-board bales limits their recovery to the board component, leaves material unrecovered and creates more foreign waste at paper mills.

Hands separate components from a corrugated box for material sorting. Illustrative image generated with artificial intelligence.

Why does it matter for corrugated shipping boxes?

Colombians made 684.6 million online purchases in 2025, up 19.9% from 2024. The figure, from the Colombian E-Commerce Chamber, is national and does not measure how many boxes are used in Medellín, but it explains why the shipping box has become the visible face of many brands.

The management of paper and cardboard packaging waste is regulated in Colombia. Resolution 1407 of 2018, published by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, regulates the environmental management of paper, cardboard, plastic, glass and metal packaging waste.

Why don’t corrugated boxes have a single price?

There is no comparable per-unit price across printers: cost changes with run length, dimensions, printing, closure and finishes. There is no universal lead time either; each production depends on those specifications and available capacity, so the quotation puts both points in writing.

Corrugated box samples with different closures on a design table. Illustrative image generated with artificial intelligence.

A clear specification avoids ordering a generic box for a specific need. The useful conversation starts with what the box must protect, how the product travels and what the recipient will see. In packaging and labeling projects in Medellín, that definition brings together graphic design, finishing and the box’s real use.