Award-winning potential: Smurfit Kappa and Mitsubishi launch “inherently sustainable” food-safe board solution

11 Nov 2019 --- In collaboration with its partner Mitsubishi HiTech Paper, Smurfit Kappa has created a new type of board-based, recyclable food-safe packaging. As the companies have noted a rising demand for sustainable packaging, this launch aligns with Smurfit Kappa’s ongoing “Better Planet Packaging” initiative, aimed at producing more sustainable packaging solutions. Earlier this year, the new board-based packaging solution was shortlisted as a finalist in both the sustainability and technology categories of the Swiss Packaging Awards.

“It has been a very collaborative process for us working with Mitsubishi HiTec Paper on this project. The fibers that our industry-leading paper is made from are an excellent solution for a huge range of products due to their inherent sustainability,” says Lars Henriksson, Vice President of Product Development of the Smurfit Kappa Paper Division.

The outer board-based packaging was made from Smurfit Kappa’s Catcher Board MB12 packaging solution. Its built-in adsorption technology protects against mineral oils, aromas and possible migration of substances. According to a year-long study conducted at the University of Dresden, Germany, MB12 outperformed the six other available solutions that were tested, concluding that MB12 was “the only sample which showed excellent barrier characteristics.”

The inner packaging, which contains Mitsubishi HiTec Paper’s barricote barrier paper, offers protection against moisture and grease and has heat-sealing properties. The company’s barricote products are not only paper-based but also fully recyclable, relying on water-based coatings and a high proportion of biodegradable ingredients. At the same time, the barrier papers are 100 percent free of plastic films, chlorinated hydrocarbons and optical brighteners. These attributes “guarantee that the barricote protects foods and consumers in an environmentally friendly, sustainable and safe fashion,” Smurfit Kappa says.

“As experts in specialty paper coatings, we brought our know-how in barriers and protective coatings to this process. Our solutions are completely free from foil, laminates, aluminum and fluorocarbons. Instead, we rely on the highest possible percentage of biodegradable resources,” adds Dr. Dieter Becker, Director of New Business Development & CSR at Mitsubishi HiTec Paper.

Contributing to its credibility, Swiss chocolate producer Hobako AG, together with Swiss packaging provider Schelling AG, were the first to use the new board-based packaging solution, which was shortlisted as a finalist in both the sustainability and technology categories of the Swiss Packaging Awards earlier this year.

Sustainability spotlighted
Smurfit Kappa specializes in consumer, retail, industrial and e-commerce packaging. With such a broad portfolio, the company aims to extend its sustainable practices across the board, noting that 75 percent of shoppers prefer paper-based packaging over plastic and 86 percent of consumers prefer buffering that is easy to dispose and recycle.

The company pursues four sustainability pillars to ensure all of its company operations are executed from an environmentally conscious approach.

• Materials: Using recycled or reused materials whenever possible. When virgin material is required, the company makes sure it stems from sustainable and renewable sources.
• Production: Maintaining the lowest carbon, waste and water footprint possible for all company operations.
• Supply chain: Designing products for protection purposes first and foremost. Other functions, such as marketing, should be added with minimal impact to the environment.
• End of life: Ensuring packaging does not harm the planet in any end-of-life scenario.

Smurfit Kappa develops sustainable packaging to reduce packaging waste across the board, ranging from egg-protecting transporters to storage plank alternatives. Through its eSmart solutions service, Smurfit Kappa styled its 100 percent recyclable, biodegradable and renewable egg-transporting packaging to allow for more packs to be transported. 

On a larger scale, the company also develops the 100 percent paper-based TOPPsafe – a packaging solution crafted from Hexacomb material. It is lightweight and strong due to its honeycomb structure, providing a more sustainable alternative to the heavy wooden, chipboard and plastic boards that are used to protect palletized products during transport and storage. 

Edited by Anni Schleicher