President and CEO of the company, Jeremy Cohen, gave the example of a new metallization technique that can replace the mylar film used to give luxury packaging the shiny appearance.
The mylar technique means the box cannot be recycled as it applies a plastic film to the paper board; however, it can be made using very high percentages of recycled material. The metallization technique leaves the paper board recyclable but Cohen explained that it is difficult to get a successful result with a high level of recycled material.
Joanna Sasso, VP of Operations for Knoll, also explained that an important part of the company’s sustainable strategy is ‘Reuse’ – boxes are designed to be kept and reused by the consumer.