by Han-Ru Xie

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, online shopping has become more prevalent, resulting in a huge number of cardboards used for loading goods during transportation; this causes a great burden on the environment. There have been many companies, both at home and abroad, trying to make changes through technologies. It is hoped that by adopting different materials, carbon emissions and pollution can be reduced.

 Cardboard bed- 100% recyclable and reusable

The sustainable furniture made of cardboard by German furniture brand ROOM IN A BOX can be the solution. Their cardboard furniture is not only light in weight and easy to install, it is 100% recyclable and reusable as raw materials.

The brand has a vision of developing a series of furniture with design innovations, complete functions, low price ,and sustainability. The cardboard used in the products can be recycled and reused up to 7 times. Not only with the material being eco-friendly, but ROOM IN A BOX insists on local production in Germany to reduce the carbon footprint as much as possible. The same idea can also be found in a their delivery in carbon-neutral methods.

The founder of the company, Gerald Dissen, has come up with a number of furniture series such as cardboard beds, tables, chairs, and storage racks since the firm was founded in 2013. The furniture by ROOM IN A BOX adopts a modular design, and customers can assemble it in their own way, creating a size that meets their needs. Users can easily replace or modify all parts and components, and everything can be assembled by hand.

Stone paper- making paper without cutting down trees

A Taiwan-based paper manufacturer has developed stone-based paper, which can not only reduce the felling of trees, but also carbon emissions by nearly 7 million tons, making a great contribution to environmental protection.

The production requires just the marble powder put into a machine to produce carbonic acid particles at a size less than one centimeter. After processing, the particles will be heated and pressurized, stretched into a thin pulp, and output as rolls of white paper sheets. Upon coating at a final stage, marketable stone paper is completed. In addition to producing general paper and packaging materials, such technology can also be used for making cardboards, reducing impacts on the environmental resulting from shipping a large number of cartons.

Stone paper looks almost the same as ordinary paper. However, the production of 1 ton of stone paper can reduce the felling of 20 trees and 20,000 liters of water used. Leftover bits and pieces of marble and waste minerals can all be turned into the said particle materials. With paper produced, waste materials are reduced at the same time.

Conclusion

In recent years, extreme climates have intensified, and environmental protection and carbon reduction have become an urgent and serious issue. Among them, waste reduction is one of the key parts. Using technology to put different materials into use is also worthy of attention, since these elements can return to nature in the fastest and easiest way after we make the most of them.