It's just a box

I have been enjoying this series of posts about the odd symbols that surround us.  I was at my desk at work, pondering a huge SQL query, and looked over to see the box I unpacked my laptop dock from about six months ago.  I really should throw that in recycling.

That's when I saw the whole list of icons and symbols printed on it.

The second row gives a great overview of how recycling logos are drawn for different cultures around the world.  To be more accurate, I doubt it's a "cultural" thing.  It's more likely to be different systems of labelling mandated by different industry councils or trade associations.

The first row has just 4 icons, which I'm pretty sure mean
1) this side up
2) fragile
3) don't stack more than 8 high
4) keep dry

It's always an open question about whether a certain icon is intuitive or not.  I think these all do their jobs with no language needed at all.

 

 

Of course there's a big long barcode, because the box is a product.  And here is the "Box Certificate" showing the manufacturer and the weight and stress limits of the box:

Note that the tape used to seal the box has its own little icon showing how to properly seal the box AND a tiny barcode of its own so every 12-inch section of that tape can be scanned to buy more tape if you need to.

Finally, the inner packing foam has its own barcode and recycling symbols in 3 systems.  Apparently, this is low-density polyethylene, which needs to be marked as >PE< (with the Japanese word for "plastic") in one system, PE-LD "04" in another, and LDPE in the third.

 

It's just a box, people