BillerudKorsnäs thinks inside the box with water-resistant Nordic wood screw pack
24 Mar 2020 --- Arvid Nilsson, supplier of fastening elements to the construction industry, and packaging material provider BillerudKorsnäs have joined forces to deliver a plastic waste-reducing, water-resistant “eco-box” for nuts, bolts and screws. Made of 100 percent primary Nordic wood fiber, the thick, durable carton box caters to the weather-specific, high-demand needs of construction workers on site. BillerudKorsnäs affirms the box can be left in the rain “for weeks” without compensating on sturdiness or compression strength.
“Arvid Nilsson’s customers are working outside in all weathers at construction sites; hence the packaging of their products needs to withstand water and different weather conditions. They wanted a sustainable solution for their problem and from there, we helped to develop the ‘eco-box’ in our carton material CrownBoard Craft,” Louise Wileen Bjarke, Head of Press at BillerudKorsnäs, tells PackagingInsights. 
With a 150 year presence in the forestry sector and on the wood market, BillerudKorsnäs guarantees its virgin fiber carton products are sourced from responsibly managed forests via its FSC and PEFC certifications. Moreover, most of the wood is sourced directly from Sweden itself. “Transparency is very important to us; therefore, we provide all the necessary documentation needed to ensure our customers our wood is safely harvested,” Bjarke affirms.
BillerudKorsnäs delivers a plastic waste-reducing, water-resistant “eco-box” for nuts, bolts and screws.Renewable bio-energy accounted for 96.7 percent of BillerudKorsnäs’ fuel consumption in 2018. Meanwhile, the company aims to phase out the residual 3.3 percent of fossil fuels entirely from its production process. In terms of electricity, the company is nearly one-third self-sufficient and its additionally purchased electricity largely comes from renewable sources, Bjarke explains. “We transfer excess heat from production to surrounding communities to contribute as much as we can to contribute to a bio-based society. We produce enough energy to provide 47,000 households annually with heating.”
Boxing out wetness
Not only is the company’s carton recyclable and renewable – planting more trees than harvesting and recycling the wood fiber up to six times – but it also undergoes a surface treatment to secure water resistance. “The combination of the CrownBoard Craft material and a PE lamination ensures that the box can withstand all types of weather and at the same time be recycled as paper packaging,” Bjarke outlines.
Regarding temperature resistance, Marketing Manager Josefin Nordlöw also tells PackagingInsights that Arvid Nilsson tested the box in reality-based weather conditions, such as heavy rain, up to -15℃ cold and inside a car during summertime when the outside temperature is more than 20 degrees for many hours. “There are no indications that these kind of conditions/temperatures affect the box,” Nordlöw details.
Contributing to its handy design, the boxes are shaped to be stackable for space-efficient transport and can endure repeated opening and closings with a crafty click lock made of a one-piece carton. “A clever design made by the converter Kafab enables folding of the board, which creates a lock that holds the lid down when closed and creates a satisfying click sound when closing,” she adds.
By Anni Schleicher
