Making Greener Choices

Alpena is happy to announce the transition from plastic blister packaging for a wide variety of our LED strips and interior lighting products to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly cardboard option!

This decision comes as the company aims to become more conscious of its impact on the environment and the future of the planet. We’re a consumer-packaged goods company, and obviously need to provide packaging for our products – but if we can choose an option that creates less waste and is more likely to be recycled, we’re happy to do so, regardless of the cost.

This will be rolled out gradually for all our major retail partners and online sales in the coming months.

Benefits of Cardboard Packaging

Below are some stats obtained by various sources, including Ecobahn, Swiftpak, and Mindseteco.

• Cardboard comes from trees that can be replanted, it’s easy to recycle, and it naturally decomposes. Plastic, on the other hand, is made from oil, it’s hard to recycle, and it never, ever breaks down.
• Here are the rough breakdowns for the disposal of plastic vs cardboard waste:
• Plastic: 40% is recycled, 30% is sent to landfill, and 30% is incinerated.
• Cardboard: 86% is recycled, 10% is sent to landfill, and 7% is incinerated.
• Cardboard decomposes much faster than plastic and can completely break down in around two months under the right conditions. Plastic, by contrast, is estimated to last between 400-1000 years.
• Although plastic can be recycled, it has been reported that over 91% of existing plastic in the world has never been recycled.

If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of cardboard packaging, watch the video here.

At Alpena, we believe that we have a responsibility to future generations. We intend to fulfill that responsibility to the best of our abilities.