Here's What Happened To GreenBox After Shark Tank
Because "Shark Tank" is all about innovation, the show has featured countless eco-friendly products and businesses over the course of its 14 seasons. For example, you may have heard of Stasher reusable storage bags, oil-absorbing Grease Bags, or even sustainably sourced Cropsticks.
Yet another eco-friendly product to come out of "Shark Tank" is GreenBox, which appeared on Season 6 back in 2015. According to Shark Tank Tales, Ned Kensing and Jennifer Wright-Laracy created GreenBox as an alternative to the standard pizza box. Whereas pizza boxes are usually bulky and require use of plates, GreenBox does not — but more on that later.
Kensing and Wright-Laracy asked the sharks for an investment of $300,000 in exchange for 10% equity. Prior to its appearance on "Shark Tank," GreenBox had already been featured on Rachael Ray's TV show, as well as in a Time Magazine review and in Whole Foods stores across the country (via Shark Tank Success). So where is GreenBox today?
GreenBox as the new eco-friendly pizza box
According to a WestRock study, Americans throw out more than 600,000 tons of pizza boxes each year. Needless to say, that's a lot of cardboard that could be reused, if not recycled. But this is where GreenBox comes in. Per BizzBucket, GreenBox is made from 100% recycled material.
However, not only is GreenBox giving new life to recycled cardboard, it's also repurposing materials. Sure, you could try the TikTok pizza box hack, but GreenBox already has you covered. Part of the box can be separated into four plates, while the rest of the box can be reassembled into a fridge-friendly container for any leftovers.
In appearing on "Shark Tank," entrepreneurs Ned Kensing and Jennifer Wright-Laracy hoped to seal the deal on an investment, as well as a plan for wider distribution. As explained by the Shark Tank Blog, shark Kevin O'Leary offered the pair $300,000 with the contingency that they license with a major pizza company, such as Domino's or Pizza Hut.
GreenBox was acquired by another company, but may no longer exist
Despite making a deal with Kevin O'Leary, GreenBox did not seem to come to an agreement with any pizza moguls. However, the company found success outside of "Shark Tank." In January 2020, GreenBox announced on Facebook that it had been acquired by the largest recycled packaging company in the world, Pratt Industries.
After the acquisition, customers could order GreenBox in bulk through the PrattBox website. These pizza boxes could be customized with logos, and each came printed with instructions for use. Unfortunately, the ability to recycle used pizza boxes the way GreenBox intended doesn't seem like an option anymore.
Its Facebook page was inactive as of 2021, and as of 2023, GreenBox was no longer featured among Pratt's pizza box options. However, the website notes that its current boxes are made with recycled materials. For now, we'll all have to go back to serving and storing our pizza the old-fashioned way.