McLean, Va. – To celebrate National Manufacturing Day, the Paper and Packaging Board (P+PB) is celebrating the industry’s essential workers by adding a message of thanks to its popular Box’s Mission: To Deliver TV commercial today. The digital video sends a simple, heartfelt thank you to mill workers, manufacturing supply chain and other industry partners who help make the boxes, paper packaging and paper products that have maintained the flow of goods and groceries to consumers’ doors during the recent months.

With 77% of consumers surveyed in 2019 for the Paper and Packaging Board reporting that they rely on corrugated cardboard boxes to get their merchandise shipped and delivered safely, the paper industry has played an important role in daily life during the work-from-home and stay-at-home months this year. According to eMarketer, with in-store shopping down about 14%, ecommerce sales have seen growth of 18%, their largest jump since 2008.

“Shipping goods directly home is no longer purely a convenience. Our B2B customers and individual consumers counted on boxes to deliver products safely and reliably when consumers were sheltering at home,” said Mary Anne Hansan, president of P+PB. “While in the past few years total retail sales have been migrating to online sales about 1 percent a year, this year’s acceleration of more than triple that rate may forever change shopping expectations and habits. We are so proud of our industry and its employees as they have worked nonstop through the pandemic to deliver essential items during unprecedented high demand.”

Watch the thank you message and more videos about the people who make paper and packaging or, for more information about how industry manufacturers are giving back, visit www.paperandpackaging.org/industry-resources/industry-good-works.