Retailer ditches plastic for recyclable alternative.

 

OfficeMax New Zealand has introduced a fully recyclable paper strap to replace the plastic polypropylene (PP) strapping on its copy paper boxes.

 

A box of copy paper, which includes five reams, is traditionally bound with plastic strapping to secure the box lid and act as a handle to support weight bearing when carried. The innovative paper strap, made primarily from recycled pulp and virgin long fibre, can support weights of up to 40 kilograms.

 

With OfficeMax holding more than 45 per cent of the white copy paper market in New Zealand, the innovation is significant. If adopted by the whole paper market, the paper strap has the potential to prevent approximately 1,930 kilometres, longer than the length of New Zealand, of plastic strapping going into landfill each year.

 

OfficeMax director of merchandise, Richard Meares, said: “We are still the only NZ retailer that sells a carbon neutral copy paper with recyclable wrap, and after seeing the ongoing positive impacts that these changes have made, it made sense to see how we could make our copy paper products even more sustainable.” 

 

UPM Specialty Papers APAC supported OfficeMax with the research and development of the paper strap to ensure the product was 100 per cent recyclable in New Zealand and met the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) standards.

 

The paper strap has been rolled out on New Future Opti copy paper, and all OfficeMax branded copy paper will transition to the paper strap later this year.