Our Story

All Great Ideas Start With A Problem

In 2013 Jack dropped out of University and began looking for things to buy and sell in the hope of generating an income. He started selling products online but he soon encountered a problem.

Finding packaging to send out small quantities of products was hard to source and expensive. It was also terrible for the environment. Jack didn’t want to package his products in expensive, bespoke cartons or non-recyclable plastic bags. He wanted an alternative.

The humble second hand box

As a temporary measure Jack started reusing packaging he already had, mostly second hand cardboard boxes that products had been delivered in. He made a quick flyer to explain to his customers that their products were ‘packed in second hand boxes to save trees’.

To his surprise, his customers didn’t mind at all. Jack realised that the humble second hand cardboard box was low cost and versatile. He started sourcing more boxes from local businesses and supermarkets, anywhere they were throwing them out. He even started selling them online as low cost, eco-friendly house moving packs.

Keep Things Simple

Jack transforms his parents’ shed into his warehouse. His bedroom becomes the head office.

He collects and delivers boxes by day... Re-packs them by night and advertises them in the early hours.

Desperate for online coverage Jack launches a website and begins frantically buying as many used and unwanted cardboard boxes as he can find. The company is born as ‘Direct Cardboard Boxes’.

Hold Onto Your Seats!

Through cold calling Jack gets in contact with the buyers at a number of multinationals.

After months of chasing, one multinational orders a trailer load of used cardboard boxes.

Over the next few weeks they order a further 10 trailers of used boxes for a project. Jack scrambles the fork lifts, his family and friends muck in and the warehouse becomes a 24 hour operation. The deal gives Jack enough money to start to expand and re-invest.

The team moves to a new office and warehouse facility. They buy a new vehicle for deliveries. Office furniture gets remembered at the last minute and Jack stays up late the night before everyone’s first day putting together some flat pack office chairs. Unfortunately, putting together flat pack furniture is not Jack’s greatest skill and the chairs soon begin to fall apart.

The Reuseabox Model Is Introduced

The Reuseabox Model is introduced to explain our reuse process to our customers and suppliers. We gain our first supply contracts with some large manufacturers.

Find out how our Reuseabox Model helped this Well Known Dairy Company.

We Support Our First Festival

We support Wild Rumpus at their annual Timber Festival by providing the cardboard for their Cardboardia Procession. The team enjoy making cardboard paraphernalia and somehow, a few items end up back in the office…

Place An Order, Plant Trees

We officially re-brand the company to Reuseabox. We’re proud of the work we’re doing to keep cardboard in use for longer, but we also know that more can be done to protect the world we live in.

That's why we also started planting trees for every order placed, by partnering with environmental organisations. Each time a customer places an order with Reuseabox, we plant trees on their behalf. It’s that simple. Place an order, plant trees. We’re excited to see just how many trees we can plant with your help. We currently partner with Ecologi, an amazing organisation which helps us to lower our carbon and plant trees both in the UK and abroad.