Research center launches origami packaging technology for sustainable e-commerce

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, in collaboration with Aalto University and Finnish industrial partners, has developed a technology for shaping cardboard, creating origami-inspired structures for fiber-based protective packaging materials.

As the e-commerce packaging market continues to expand, there is rising concern over the packaging’s carbon footprint and material composition. 

For example, global sustainability issues like the potential environmental impact of microplastic pollution mean that demand for new, sustainable packaging solutions continues to rise. 

The origami folds have the capacity to yield entirely new properties from cardboard. The structures’ lightweight and durability provide an excellent and visually appealing alternative to protective packing materials like plastic and expanded polystyrene. The aesthetics of the material have also garnered interest from designers.

Opportunities exceed challenges

Involving 13 different companies, organizations and universities at various stages, the Fold and Fold 2 projects are keystones in a quest to renew and expand how cardboard is used as a packaging material. 

Jarmo Kouko, creator of the Fold project and research team leader at VTT, tells Packaging Insights that the biggest challenges for bringing origami-based cardboard packaging to the market is creating the value chain from production to application. 

“Yet there are no industrial machinery or commercial applications, only demos, potential markets, and excited feedback for the demo applications,” says Kouko.

But he says that the work creating the value chain is “actively ongoing,” especially related to manufacturing.

“There is market potential for, for example, e-commerce, protective packages and maybe many other opportunities that have not yet been considered. We can foresee opportunities more than limitations,” Kouko tells us.

Broad paperboard applicability

The two-phase project began with designing a machine to fold the origami cardboard, with the next phase of the project set to begin testing other materials. The outcome has been a resounding success, leading to new applications of cardboard to manufacture packaging material that is flexible, durable, versatile and sustainable.

“The technology of Fold is completely unique in the world. Origami folding transforms cardboard into a flexible, protective and visually appealing material unlike anything that’s previously been available for industry-wide production. The technology we’ve developed also has the capacity to produce foldable materials from recycled goods,” says Kouko.

Kouko originally drew inspiration for the project while attending a packaging industry conference on various folding techniques. Traditionally, origami is handcrafted, with its intricate and complex folds often taking several hours to construct by hand. This intensive process would usually be a limitation for commercial packaging, but Kouko was inspired by the idea of mechanical folding that could refine materials into protective, lightweight and visually striking forms.

The solution mechanically replicates the hand-folding process, adding the benefit of consistent precision and quality that would be difficult to achieve by hand. Since the technology can be applied to various commercially available paperboard grades, no changes are required in the materials used.

Premium unboxing experience

Eight industrial companies were involved in the Fold project, participating in both the development and funding. 

The current phase, known as Fold 2, began in March 2024 with continued support from a consortium of companies. The goal for the future is to expand the technology’s applicable usage to other materials and find partners across Europe for pilot projects, as well as global partners for the commercialization phase after Fold 2’s completion.

“The packaging industry is very interested in Fold, and close cooperation with various enterprises enables us to move quickly from the innovation phase to practical application. We could see origami cardboard on the market within three to five years if the project progresses as planned,” says Jari Räsänen, R&D manager at Stora Enso, one of the companies involved in the project.

The Fold material has also inspired designers. Demo packages made from origami cardboard have already been showcased at the 2023 Design Weeks in Finland and the Netherlands, where the material was met with enthusiasm.

For example, in applications for luxury items, such as in the cosmetics industry, the aesthetics of the packaging are an important part of the customer experience. Fold offers consumers a more premium unboxing experience that is also more environmentally conscious compared to traditionally used solutions like plastic bubble wrap and expanded polystyrene.

“Folding cardboard opens up completely new possibilities for us when developing fiber-based packaging, for example, for the food industry. With our new Japanese owner, origami folds are a particularly interesting topic,” says Annika Sundell at Walki Group.