Notbox Launches in North America

LONDON — The Notbox Company has launched its eco-friendly 'leaner, meaner and greener' alternative to the billions of single-use cardboard boxes to manufacturers, supply chain professionals and consumers in the United States and Canada through a new partnership headed by former Wall Street financier, Thomas Hellman.

Hellman, Chairman and President of Notbox North America, says he has 'great expectations' for the whole range of Notbox products, which also include coolboxes suitable for home use as well as by specific industries such as the healthcare sector. The Notbox Company, headquartered in the UK, is already working with customers in Europe.

"The global packaging industry is worth some $424 billion and North America accounts for 28% of this market. Currently, cardboard is used to ship 90% of all products in the U.S. but the growing focus towards sustainability by businesses and consumers makes this the perfect time to bring a product like Notbox to the market. Reducing corrugated cardboard excess is one of the fastest and most effective steps a company can take to reduce waste and is high on the corporate agenda. We can demonstrate not only the environmental benefits of using Notboxes but also the cost advantages of switching to Notbox, especially for the supply chain sector where vast quantities of product are moving in cycles between distribution centers and retail stores," he said.

Thomas Hellman spent 25 years as an institutional trader on Wall Street. His career has also included spells as Marketing Director for a Swiss bank and working for the Chinese government in Hong Kong. His first appointment to the new Notbox North America team is Shelley Slaughter, Vice President, North America, who will take responsibility for business development and marketing using her experience in similar roles with companies in Canada and Asia Pacific.

Shelley Slaughter said: "We are very excited about launching Notbox into the U.S. and Canadian markets and see a huge potential with organizations and consumers that are interested in the benefits of using an eco-friendly alternative to single-use cardboard boxes and plastic containers. We are in an excellent position to introduce a competitive product that produces less waste, uses fewer resources, lowers costs, and increases environmental public awareness. Right now, we're focused on working in partnership with companies who want to be ahead of the curve with their commitment to sustainability. So, that includes an increasingly wide range of businesses who understand that sustainability can pay for itself. The bottom line is that throwing things away costs money - and the bigger the business, the greater the costs. Compared to a single trip cardboard box, a Notbox will make 20 or more trips so it's easy to see how the savings can ramp up."

The North American market as a whole is very conscientious and well informed about environmental issues and consumers are looking for sustainable alternatives to old concepts. Practising environmentally responsible methods is recognized as sound corporate management, she said. Slaughter continued: "We're in a position to deliver a reusable and sustainable packaging product that reduces waste at the point of delivery for business-to-business transactions."

Hellman says he believes great awareness of the environmental benefits of Notbox will also have a significant appeal with North American consumers: "According to U.S. industry reports and data, consumers will put a greater value on recyclability and the perceived 'greenness' of packaging in the years ahead. They will increasingly demand proof of sustainability claims, such as lifecycle analysis data, carbon footprint exposure, etc. and that opens up an enormous market for Notbox. Being environmentally responsible is now more important to consumers - they want lower costs, fewer toxins, less guilt, and more incentives connected to the products they buy," he said.

Notboxes are new strong, recyclable and multi-use transportation and storage boxes that fold flat when not in use. Designed to replace traditional single-use cardboard boxes, the Notbox team in Europe are already working on projects that will help clients achieve cost savings of over $10 million by removing cardboard from their supply chain between Distribution Centre and store and also remove over 15 million kilos of CO2 emissions in support of their Corporate & Social Responsibility programmes.

As well as their strength, reusability and ability to fold flat for easy storage and carriage when not in use, Notboxes come in a range of sizes and colours and can be easily branded. Bespoke Notboxes can also be produced for specific client requirements.

Launching Notbox North America is just the latest global expansion initiative from The Notbox Company. In November, it recruited Laurence Tanty, one of the packaging industry's most respected senior executives, to act as its European growth consultant to spearhead its growth in the market for sustainable and lower cost supply chain packaging solutions. During her career, Laurence has held senior executive roles in the consumer goods and B2B packaging industries, working with private equity owned LINPAC Packaging Group and blue chip companies such as Mars and Sara Lee Corp.