Custom Sustainable Boxes
Custom sustainable boxes that earn the word — sized to the product to cut board and freight, mono-material so they recycle whole, on recycled-content or FSC stock — from 100. The spec lists every claim, and the dieline and price come back the same working day.
The most sustainable box is the one with less in it
- Board
- Recycled-content, FSC virgin, unbleached kraft or uncoated boxboard; E/B flute
- Builds
- Any folding construction; right-sized to the product
- Materials
- Mono-material paper; paper-based window film; starch glue; paper tape
Get a price for Sustainable Boxes
Send the size and quantity — we reply the same working day with a price, a dieline and a date. Artwork optional at this stage.
- Free dielineThe flat drawing comes with the quote, before you commit.
- Proof before pressNothing is printed until you have seen it laid on the dieline.
- Die kept for reordersTooling is paid once. Every reorder skips straight to press.
- Quoted in four marketsUS, UK, Canada and Australia, in the delivery currency.
Right-sizing is the biggest lever
A box sized to the product rather than a stock list uses less board, needs no void fill, and ships in a smaller parcel. Across a year that saving in board and freight usually exceeds every other sustainability measure combined. It is also where we start on every job: the dieline is drawn to the product, and a plain sample shows how little room is left.
Mono-material, so it recycles whole
A mono-material box is recyclable everywhere paper is collected, which is nearly everywhere. That is a stronger claim than compostable in most markets.
- Board only: no plastic window, no laminate, no foil — the box goes in the paper bin as it is.
- Paper-based window film where a window is needed, so the pack stays in one stream.
- Paper tape and starch glue on shippers, so nothing has to be peeled off.
- Inserts in board rather than foam, cut from the same sheet where possible.
Board choices and what each claim means
Our eco-friendly box range goes deeper into which claim each stock can honestly carry.
| Recycled-content board | Post-consumer fiber; gray-brown cast; right for shippers and inners |
|---|---|
| FSC-certified virgin board | Responsibly sourced; needed where whiteness or food contact matters |
| Unbleached kraft | Less processing; natural look; prints one or two colors well |
| Uncoated board | No clay coat, easier to repulp; softer print |
Print and finish without the plastic
Water-based inks, no lamination, a water-based varnish where the box needs scuff resistance. Foil and soft-touch are left out, not because they cannot be recycled — small foil areas repulp fine — but because the box reads more honestly without them. A deboss or a strong single color does the premium work instead.
A sustainable box can still be printed full color. Coated FSC board with water-based ink and no laminate carries a photograph well.
Saying it on the box without overclaiming
We print what the spec supports: "recyclable — paper", "made with recycled board", the FSC mark when you hold the license, and nothing else. No leaves, no "eco" without a noun, no compostable unless the whole box meets the standard. The spec sheet that comes with the quote is written so it can be handed to a retailer or a regulator.
Sustainable Boxes — specification
The rows that are specific to this build first, then what applies to every job we run. Anything not listed is a question, not a limit — send the brief.
This build
- Board
- Recycled-content, FSC virgin, unbleached kraft or uncoated boxboard; E/B flute
- Builds
- Any folding construction; right-sized to the product
- Materials
- Mono-material paper; paper-based window film; starch glue; paper tape
- Water-based inks; water-based varnish; no laminate, foil or soft-touch
- Claims
- Only those the spec supports; FSC mark under your license
- Documentation
- Spec sheet with the quote; material certificates on request
- Minimum
- 100 boxes
On every job
- Print process
- Digital below about a thousand, offset above it. One side or both, with spot colors where a match has to hold.
- Color
- CMYK as standard. Uncoated and kraft stocks print lighter and warmer; a spot color is the only exact match.
- Tolerance
- Cutting plus or minus 1 mm, creasing plus or minus 0.5 mm, confirmed on a plain sample before the run.
- Tooling
- A cutting die per size, made once and kept. Foil and emboss dies per artwork, also kept.
- Food contact
- Food-grade board and inks where the carton touches food, with the interior left plain.
- Sustainability
- Mono-material board wherever the product allows; recycled-content and FSC stocks; no claim printed the pack does not earn.
- Artwork
- Vector PDF or AI, 3 mm bleed, 4 mm safe area, fonts outlined. We check every file and send a proof before press.
- Dieline
- Supplied free with the quote, before you commit. Yours whether or not you order.
- Sample
- A plain unprinted sample at the finished size on request, for fit and construction.
- Reorders
- Skip the tooling and go straight to press at a lower unit price.
- Lead time
- Quoted with the price against your fill date rather than promised before we have seen the spec.
- Markets
- United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia — priced in the delivery currency, freight included.
Boards and films we build sustainable boxes on
A folding carton is one sheet of board, so the board is the product. These are the stocks we run for cartons, what each is good at, and where it lets you down.
Natural kraft
Unbleached folding board. Warm, hides marks, costs least. Mutes color — one or two flat colors print well, photographs do not.
250–350gsm sleeves; 14–24pt cartonsWhite SBS
Solid bleached sulfate: bright, coated, the retail carton standard. Takes accurate color and every finish. Shows scuffs sooner than kraft.
14–24ptWhite lined chipboard
A recycled gray core under a white printing face. Cheaper than SBS and slightly duller; the back of the sheet stays gray.
16–24ptKraft-look coated
A kraft face over a coated inner. The natural look with a barrier behind it — the answer where oil, grease or moisture would mark plain kraft.
14–20ptRecycled-content board
Post-consumer fiber with a gray-brown cast. Right for outers and inner components; poor for bright whites and photography.
16–22ptMicro-flute E and F
A fine corrugated layer where a carton needs structure it cannot get from board — a large panel, a heavy product, a box that ships alone.
E 1.5 mm; F 0.8 mmUncoated and textured
No clay coat, or a linen or laid grain. Print reads softer and warmer; a deboss goes deeper. Photographs do not sit well on it.
280–350gsmMetallised and pearlescent
A metallic or pearl face for a shelf that needs to catch light. Costly, and it fights a photograph — a mark or a pattern suits it better.
16–20ptNot sure which? Say what goes in it and where it is sold — the material follows from that. Our notes on recycled, recyclable and compostable cover which claims each stock can honestly carry.
- 01
Send what you have
A dimension, a photograph beside a ruler, or the product itself. No technical drawing needed — that part is ours.
- 02
We quote and draw
A price, a dieline and a date come back together. If a different build would suit the product better, that is in the reply too.
- 03
Approve the dieline
The flat drawing is yours to check: which panel is the front, where the folds fall, how deep the cavity really is.
- 04
Artwork on the dieline
You place your design on the flat we sent, or we place it for you, and you see a proof before anything goes to press.
- 05
A sample if you want one
A plain unprinted sample at the finished size shows fit and construction — the things a drawing cannot.
- 06
Cut, printed, shipped
The die is cut once and kept, so every reorder skips the tooling and goes straight to press at a lower unit price.
Format
Vector PDF or AI where possible. Raster artwork at 300dpi at final size, in CMYK.
Bleed
3 mm past every trim line, so a fraction of drift on the cutter never leaves a white edge.
Safe area
Keep type and anything important 4 mm inside the cut and away from every fold.
Color
Convert to CMYK before sending. Uncoated stock prints lighter; a spot color is the only exact match.
Fonts
Outline them or supply the files. A missing font substitutes silently and the proof will not match.
Barcodes
On a light, matte, unvarnished patch with the quiet zone clear — a code on gloss fails the scanner.
Not set up that way? Send it anyway — fixing a file is a short conversation, and we check every one before press. Our guide to preparing print files covers each point.
Every finish here is a decision about light on a shelf, not about luxury.
Matte lamination
Reads considered, hides marks, takes a ballpoint.
Gloss lamination
Lifts color; glares under shop lighting.
Soft-touch
Velvet in the hand; shows fingerprints in a bag.
Hot foil
Real metal leaf — the most reliable premium signal.
Emboss / deboss
Shape with no ink; works in the dark.
Spot UV
Gloss shapes on a matte field.
Uncoated kraft
Warm, natural, mutes color.
Textured stock
Texture in the paper; cannot scuff off.
Not sure which suits the shelf it sells from? Say where the product is sold and we suggest one — our notes on specialty finishes show them on real boxes.
Sizing a folding carton so the die comes out right: sustainable boxes
Measure the product, not the box it is in now. A carton is built around what has to fit inside it, assembled — cap on, lid fitted, folded if it folds — at its widest point in each direction. Send those three numbers and say which is which.
- Length x width x height
- Internal, always. External dimensions include the board and are what the carrier measures, not what the product needs.
- Clearance
- 2–3 mm a side for a snug fit; more where an insert or void fill goes in. A carton cut exactly to the product is slow to pack and transmits every knock.
- Board thickness
- Heavier board takes internal space from the product. It matters most on small boxes, where four walls of 24pt is a real share of the cavity.
- Varies between batches?
- Glass, textiles, molded parts and cured soap all do. Measure several and build to the largest.
- Cutting tolerance
- Plus or minus 1 mm on folding board. Confirmed on a plain sample before the run.
- Units
- Metric or imperial, as long as you say which. Mixing them in one spec is where mistakes happen.
Not sure your numbers are right? Send the product dimensions rather than the box dimensions and we work the box out — the full method is in our guide to measuring for a box.
Interactive · five steps · no sign-up
Build your Sustainable Boxes in 3D
Pick a shape, type a size, choose a board and a finish. The preview on the left redraws as you go, and the spec lands with us exactly as you set it.
Frequently asked questions
Got a question about sustainable boxes? The answers below cover what we get asked most. If yours is not here, send it with a brief, message us on WhatsApp, or call +1 503-461-4788 — we reply the same working day.
What makes a box sustainable?
Less material and fewer materials: sized to the product, made of paper alone, on recycled or certified board, printed without plastic. Each is a decision on the spec, not a logo.
Is recycled board or FSC board better?
Recycled for shippers and inners where color does not matter; FSC virgin where you need whiteness, print quality or food contact. Both are honest choices.
Can a sustainable box be full color?
Yes. Coated FSC board with water-based ink and no laminate prints well. The finish is what is left out, not the color.
Can it have a window?
Yes, with a paper-based window film so the box stays in one recycling stream.
Is it recyclable?
A mono-material board box is recyclable wherever paper is collected, which is almost everywhere.
What is the minimum order?
100 boxes.
Can I put a recycling logo on it?
A plain "recyclable — paper" statement, yes. The FSC mark only if you hold the license. We do not print marks the box has not earned.
Does right-sizing really matter?
It is the single biggest saving: less board, no void fill, a smaller parcel, lower freight. It usually outweighs every other measure.
Can I still have foil?
You can, and small areas recycle fine, but the box reads more honestly without it. A deboss gives the premium mark instead.
Is sustainable the same as compostable?
No. Compostable is a specific standard for the whole box. Sustainable is the wider set of choices; a box can be sustainable and recyclable without being compostable.
Will you give me the spec in writing?
Yes. The spec sheet comes with the quote and is written to be shown to a retailer or a regulator.
Do you ship outside the US?
Yes, to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, quoted in the delivery currency.
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