Unless this is the first time you have visited our blog, you already know we are avid proponents of reusing and recycling packaging. That is especially true of our corrugated products that offer the most in recycled content, because no one has figured out how to improve on 100%.
The one area of sustainability that we have yet to master is that of “upcycling,” which is recycling a product and making it even more valuable than it originally was. I sincerely appreciate and respect people who are able to take empty juice pouches and turn them into fashion handbags or use empty wine bottles to create beautiful table lamps out of what might otherwise end up in a landfill. However, Mark Langan, with a lot of talent and time, is able to take corrugated board and turn it into beautiful works of art.
Yes, It Really Is Made of Old, Used Boxes
I urge you to visit Mark’s website, www.Langanart.com, where you will undoubtedly have to take a second and perhaps even a third look at Mark’s work because it is so difficult to believe it is all made of used corrugated board. The shapes and textures he is able to achieve seem unlimited, enabling him to create unique pieces that adorn boardrooms and lobbies of major corporations, as well as homes of celebrities and the very eco-minded.
It is not unusual for one of Mark’s creations to consume more than 100 hours of meticulous hand crafting, so his is not likely ever to become a large-volume upcycling operation. However, what Mark lacks in terms of volume, he more than makes up for in terms of beauty and creativity.
It also serves as a reminder, especially to all of us who buy, sell or use corrugated shipping boxes, that in the right hands, this most basic of packaging materials, much like the tree it originally came from, can be pleasing for generations to come.
