Vancouver-based FrogBox (http://frogbox.com/), which rents plastic boxes to people moving so they don’t have to use cardboard, just opened in Seattle. The low-impact moving service hopes to now wean the Puget Sound of its dependence on cardboard.
Frogbox estimates that Vancouverites use about 450,000 cardboard boxes every month for moving, and Seattle uses about 1 million. This type of stat makes FrogBox’s ergonomic, reusable boxes an green-minded mover’s dream.
“Cardboard can be used twice, but FrogBoxes can be used about 400 times before they’re recycled,” says Doug Burgoyne, who started the company after being frustrated with how much cardboard he used during his many moves. “We’re also excited to be keeping everyday folk away from dumpster diving for used boxes.”
The company donates 1% of gross revenues to frog habitat restoration initiatives in the Northwest, and recently gave to Mountain View Conservation, which runs a husbandry program to help bring back the endangered Oregon Spotted Frog, of which only 400 exist in the Canadian wild. “Frogs accurately indicate how healthy our ecosystem is,” Doug says. “Globally, frogs are disappearing faster than dinosaurs did, and we want to be a part of the solution that turns this dire trend around.”
FrogBox is planning a franchise roll-out across Canada and down the US West Coast, sticking to their core business of reducing movers’ dependence on cardboard. “It’s not just about being low-impact on the environment though,” Doug says. “We take some of the stress out of moving by adding a more convenient service. We also help people avoid using mini-storage with all their extra stuff because, well, we need our boxes back.”
Listen to what CFOX says about FrogBox on YouTube.
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I could have used these guys after moving around 3-4 times in the past two years.
Great idea! The price point for renting Frogboxes is comparable to buying cardboard boxes. Some people would say that you can simply get free heavy-duty cardboard boxes from the neighbourhood grocer, supermarket, or retail shop. But, who has time to source boxes from various locations when you need to pack up **all** your household goods — which could be anywhere from 30-100 boxes? The Frogbox, given it’s construction, is also perfect for your breakables.