DS Smith slashes e-commerce plastic with crepe paper fixation packs
05 Oct 2021 --- DS Smith is replacing polyethylene (PE) with crepe paper in e-commerce packaging as part of the company’s pledge to use 100% recyclable or reusable packaging by 2023. Already in use by a well-known smartphone manufacturer, DS Smith says the innovation is another step in improving the environmental standards of home delivery packaging.
Innova Market Insights highlighted the boom in e-commerce caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic, pegging “Home Delivery Haven” the top trend for 2021, noting food service delivery, in particular, has grown since the outbreak of the pandemic.
According to a 2021 survey by Innova Market Insights, 35% of global consumers have increased their home food delivery use since the virus outbreak. Brazil is above average, with more than half (58%) of consumers turning to online purchasing.
Fixating on sustainability
DS Smith’s fixation packaging dispenses with additional filling materials and can be used in various industries for single item shipping. Inside the packaging, products are securely fixed for transport with the help of a highly stretchable PE foil. In this way, products of different sizes and shapes can be shipped with only one packaging format within a certain range.
Over half of consumers have turned to online shopping since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Innova Market Insights.The material-saving fixation packaging therefore offers the retailer great flexibility and cost-efficiency. The new product can reduce the variety of packaging sizes stocked and simplify logistical processes. In addition, the fixation packaging is also suitable for return shipment.
DS Smith has attempted to further the design’s environmental benefits by replacing the PE foil with a recyclable, fiber-based crepe paper.
The crepe paper can be applied to the corrugated board and by machine as a foil. Thanks to its structure, the solution is “extremely” stretchable, resistant, and therefore “perfectly suited” for protecting sensitive goods, says the company.
The innovation can be used for both one-piece and two-piece fixation packaging. A decisive advantage is that fiber-based mono-material solutions made entirely of corrugated board, natural brown crepe paper can be completely fed into the paper recycling loop.
Surfing the e-commerce trend
Online shopping will remain a “megatrend,” says DS Smith, even following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company points to a survey conducted this year that found e-commerce is not only popular with younger generations but has also become part of everyday life for the over-60s age range.
According to the company, in 2020, around a third of all online shoppers belonged to this affluent age group. “Even after the pandemic, a large part of the population does not want to give up the convenience of online shopping. According to the data, almost three out of four consumers plan to order online to the same or greater extent in the future,” says DS Smith.
Recently, the company has made similar strides in improving its environmental sustainability standards by reducing plastic usage.
In August, the company created recyclable e-commerce packaging for German start-up Blaue Helden, a company producing power tabs for instantly mixing dishwashing and cleaning products at home. Blaue Helden sells refill tablets, which the company hopes will permanently reduce single-use plastic and CO2 emissions. The material-optimized solution made of 100 percent corrugated cardboard was created at DS Smith’s think tank.
In July, DS Smith sold its De Hoop paper mill in the Netherlands for €50 million (US$59 million) to De Jong Packaging. The paper mill in Eerbeek produces 370,000 metric tons of recycled paper per year, supplying mainly heavier grades of recycled paper.
Edited
By Louis Gore-Langton
