Iron Mountain Sustainable Solutions: Eco Box

Solution Guides

Achieve your sustainability goals through innovative, cost-effective solutions that also protect and manage your information.

February 29, 20246 mins
Eco box

Business challenge

Organizations want to minimize the environmental impact of the products they purchase. There is a wide variety of storage boxes available for purchase. It can be challenging to identify boxes that provide clear information about their composition, manufacturing processes, and recycling options.

What if you could

  • Verify that the boxes you purchase are made from responsibly sourced materials
  • Support your circular economy goals by purchasing boxes that are durable and recyclable
  • Order boxes that can be conveniently delivered during your regular Iron Mountain services
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Our impact

Iron Mountain’s Eco Box is composed of raw materials that are 65% post-consumer recycled content and 35% derived from sustainably managed forests.

Iron Mountain Eco Box

Records and information are the lifeblood of any organization. Safe and secure document storage is critical to compliance and business continuity. In order to properly organize, store and retrieve your documents and other vital assets you need reliable tools and supplies. Iron Mountain understands that paper records have retention periods that can span years, and in some records must be stored permanently. Ensuring your documents are securely stored in durable boxes that can stand up against the test of time and sometimes frequent handling is important.

Iron Mountain’s Eco Box is available across North America and:

  • Durable: With stacking strengths from 450 to 900 pounds for our standard document storage boxes the Eco Box won’t crush easily or fail during long-term storage or frequent handling.
  • Secure: The larger lid design not only aids durability but also won’t warp or blow off. The box comes with built-in holes for zip ties for an added level of security.
  • Sustainable: Made from 65% post-consumer recycled content and 35% Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified materials, ensuring any virgin materials are from responsibly managed forests. All boxes are also 100% recyclable, enabling a responsible end-of-life.
  • Easy to order and receive: Instantly order boxes by contacting customer service through IMConnect or at 800.899.IRON (4766) and receive convenient on-the-spot delivery for most supply types.

Our methodology: Iron Mountain sustainable solutions

We recognize the important role we play in our customers’ value chain. We believe we have a responsibility to leverage our sustainable business practices to add value to our product offerings.

Iron Mountain’s method for identifying solutions that can help customers measure and report on progress towards their sustainability goals was developed in partnership with a Fellow from MIT’s Sustainability Lab and received external endorsement from a panel of independent subject matter experts and business leaders. The framework focuses on four core criteria.

    Core criteria:
  • Addresses a significant and clearly defined sustainability challenge
  • A comprehensive product lifecycle review of benefits and limitations results in a net positive impact rating
  • Sustainability claims are clear and based on a third-party endorsement
  • Transparency provided on business processes and calculation methodologies
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Addresses a sustainability challenge

The Iron Mountain Eco Box supports corporate goals related to responsible procurement, landfill diversion and recycling. The Iron Mountain Eco Box is made from FSC-certified materials and is 100% recyclable. In North America, Iron Mountain procures more than 11 million boxes per year for our customers. Ensuring a durable and sustainable storage box for their records.
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Net positive impact

The full lifecycle review was completed and it was concluded that the box design, manufacturing and end-of-life stages all combine to make the Eco Box a net-positive solution.

Benefits
  • Responsibly sourced materials
  • The box itself is 100% recyclable, enabling a circular economy
  • The box’s security-focused and durable design help keep records safe during storage and transit

    Additional considerations:
  • Iron Mountain’s promotion of FSC certification is limited to North America. However, many of our boxes sold outside of North America carry regional certifications for sustainability as well.
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    Clear claims backed by a third party

    Sustainability:
  • The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), ensures forests are properly and responsibly maintained to meet economic needs, conserve biodiversity and preserve species, while also taking into account land rights and the rights of indigenous communities and workers.
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    Product transparency

    All Eco Boxes are clearly labeled and include a QR code that is linked to Iron Mountain’s website where additional details on the boxes can be found.