PulPac partners with PA Consulting to customize plastic replacements across industry

15 Nov 2022 --- PulPac and PA Consulting (PA) have signed a collaboration agreement to advise brands on transforming their product and packaging using PulPac’s Dry Molded Fiber technology – offering expert advice to meet their bespoke, plastic-free packaging and product needs.

The collaboration builds on PA’s role as a global development and scale-up partner for PulPac’s Dry Molded Fiber technology – a patented environmentally sustainable product and packaging solution that uses renewable cellulose fiber and almost no water in the manufacturing process. 

“The collaboration agreement ensures that brands do not feel as though they are working with disparate organizations – this is a partnership to help brands meet their sustainability goals, and it takes the range of expertise across PulPac and PA Consulting to help them meet this,” Tony Perrotta, PulPac Partnership Lead at PA Consulting tells PackagingInsights. 

“Not using an expert in the field raises multiple challenges: brands may not have the required expertise or resources available or will seek a one-to-one replacement of a plastic design without understanding how to take full advantage of Dry Molded Fiber.”  

Ensuring support 
Perrotta explains the partnership is about working collaboratively with PulPac to ensure that brands are supported as they seek to replace single-use plastics across their products and packaging. “Dry Molded Fiber is a new technology, and there are limited experts in this space capable of understanding the process and the design requirements needed to bring this to life.”

“For most brands, every product or package has a specific barrier and functionality needs that require a bespoke solution, and this is where we can offer our expertise. These are not off-the-shelf catalog components, and if we’re going to ensure that brands can use sustainable materials for the long-term, then they need the right support at the outset,” he asserts. 

The partners want to ensure that brands are supported as they seek to replace single-use plastics across their products and packaging. “If brands are interested in understanding how they can use Dry Molded Fiber, we work directly with them to determine if it fits their specific needs. If so, we provide a phased approach to evaluation, design and prototype.” 

Replacing plastic 
Sanna Fager, chief commercial officer at PulPac adds: “Global brands need to act on the plastic pledges made – and our technology offers a functional, scalable and affordable solution. The partnership with PA allows us to accelerate our offering to brands and support them on their journey to reduce single-use plastics and bring sustainable products to market.”

The partnership outlines PA’s ability to support the commercialization of PulPac’s “unique” solution, providing the world’s largest consumer and packaged goods (CPG) brands with an environmentally sustainable replacement to plastic that can be adapted to meet complex product and packaging requirements.    

Under the agreement, PA will focus on brand activation – working with brands to develop new applications for Dry Molded Fiber, such as primary and secondary packaging and replacing plastic in product formulations.

Customized approach
PA and PulPac will work together with brands to implement PulPac’s sustainable Dry Molded Fiber technology without compromising on quality, cost or consumer experience, stresses Perrotta.

“As companies increasingly seek innovative ways to decarbonize, the technology is an ‘excellent’ solution, leaving an 80-90% lower CO2 footprint at the same or lower cost as plastic. Every CPG brand has unique and complex requirements.”

“PA understands this and will draw upon our technical expertise, innovative processes and design capability to ensure that together we meet those needs,” he adds. 

“We are excited about the possibilities of this collaboration and accelerating PulPac’s offering to help support brands, from food and drinks to cosmetics to healthcare, reduce the use of single-use plastics and make strides in achieving net-zero goals,” concludes Perrotta. 

By Natalie Schwertheim