Ciba特殊化学品公司（Ciba Specialty Chemical）和美国宾西法尼亚州盖茨堡市的Spectra-Kote公司签署了关于Spectra-Kote的蜡替代材料（WAM^TM）生产的全球营销协议。这种蜡替代品使得瓦楞纸箱生产者能够生产不含蜡的但功效无差异的，环境友好的纸箱。这种产品（WAM^TM）也可以为生产硬纸板提供防水功能，和传统的蜡不同的是，用这种产品（WAM^TM）生产的纸箱是可回收的，这就帮助零售商和生产商降低了成本。

    WAM^TM技术是纸添加剂和造纸工序结合形成的一种无渗漏，阻水的牛皮纸隔层，正是这种隔层减少了蜡的使用。零售商提高可回收率和较低成本的要求促使不含蜡纸箱需求的提高。WAM^TM产品通过了美国纤维纸箱协会对蜡替代物的审议。此外，WAM^TM产品被工厂接受是因为它不需要像其他蜡替代技术一样在污水处理时需要制浆工艺。

    Spectra-kote 公司估计用蜡的瓦楞纸箱生产量为140万吨，其中90万吨的瓦楞纸箱要填埋处理，零售商对这些瓦楞纸箱的处置成本估计为6300万美元。使用蜡的瓦楞纸箱主要被用作包装家禽，占到总消费量的80%，其他瓦楞纸箱被用来包装肉类，鱼以及各种食物。

Ciba Specialty Chemicals has singed an exclusive agreement with Spectra-Kote Corp. of Gettysburg, PA for the global marketing of Spectra-Kote’s line of wax alternative materials(WAM^TM). WAM^TM products allow corrugated box makers to produce wax free boxes that are both functional and environmentally friendly. WAM^TM products are also used to provide waterproofing characteristics to solid boxboard. Unlike traditional waxed corrugated boxes, boxes produced with WAM^TM papers or paperboard can be recycled, thereby helping reduce costs for retailers and growers.

WAM^TM technology is a combination of paper additives and papermaking processes that yield a non-wicking, water resistant draft liner/medium. It is this liner or medium that eliminates the need for wax. The demand for functional wax free boxes is being driven by retailers as they focus on ways to improve the recyclability of packaging materials and reduce operating costs. WAM^TM products passes Fiber Box Association protocol for wax replacement alternatives. In addition, WAM^TM is accepted back into the mill through the waste stream without any of the repulpability issues associated with other wax replacement technologies.