Smurfit Kappa enters North Africa with solar-powered corrugated packaging plant in Morocco

13 Jul 2023 --- Smurfit Kappa has inaugurated its corrugated packaging plant in Rabat, Morocco, marking the packaging giant’s first operation in North Africa.

The paperboard box manufacturer says Morocco offers an “exciting opportunity,” with the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) forecasting a 3.5% growth rate in 2023 and 3.7% in 2024. The country’s location enables the company to serve the local market and wider African regions. 

The group has invested over €35 million (US$39 million) in the 25,000 square meter facility, which was completed in seven months and is said to support 400 direct and indirect jobs. It will serve domestic Moroccan businesses and global companies across different sectors, including industrial, agricultural, FMCG, automotive, pharma and ceramics. 

It also features the Experience Centres, part of a network of over 30 centers worldwide, which showcase the latest packaging innovations. 

The new plant will be powered by nearly 1,500 solar panels, making it Morocco’s “first” packaging facility to be supplied by green energy.t. 

Complementing operations
The energy transition will reportedly save 55% of electricity and 900 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year. Furthermore, the packaging plant has a purification and water treatment system that reduces consumption by 50%.

Tony Smurfit, Group CEO, comments: “We’re combining our global scale and expertise with our local team’s best-in-class knowledge to provide the best service to our customers. Morocco’s geographical location complements our operations in Europe and adds to our global footprint, which is a competitive advantage.”

Over the last five years, Smurfit Kappa has invested around €4.7 billion (US$5.2 billion) to support its customers and capitalize on its long-term growth drivers.

Notably, the company received a €6 million (US$6.5 million) investment at its Sanguesa paper mill in Spain to construct and install up to 12,000 solar panels on land adjacent to the mill. 

It also launched a patented Vitop Uno tap, which it promotes as the first tap in the Bag-in-Box market to have attached tamper protection.

Edited by Natalie Schwertheim