Smurfit Kappa launches SmartLife service to boost bag-in-box wine’s shelf life
18 Aug 2020 --- European corrugated packaging company Smurfit Kappa has launched a new tracking service coined SmartLife to boost traceability and shelf life for its Bag-in-Box wine packaging. The service uses a combination of filling-performance diagnostics and practical training in order to identify opportunities for improvement within the supply chain. This diagnostic process provides an opportunity for customers to benchmark the oxygen level of their product against Smurfit Kappa’s worldwide oxygen database.
“We have capitalized on our 40 years of expertise in bag-in-box solutions to create SmartLife. There are eight key parameters and multiple combinations of them that determine wine shelf life throughout the supply chain process. The SmartLife service uses these parameters to determine how we can contribute to increasing Bag-in-Box shelf-life, wine quality and ultimately sales,” details Patrick Vuchot, Scientific Director of Smurfit Kappa Bag-in-Box. 
The SmartLife process follows three key steps. Smurfit Kappa initially works with the customer to define problem areas within the supply chain and identify potential causes of inadequate shelf life for Bag-in-Box wines as well as possible improvements. SmartLife experts then provide a basic or complete diagnostic of the filling process to determine the critical points where shelf life can be improved at the lowest cost.
SmartLife seeks to boost the shelf life of wines employing Smurfit Kappa’s Bag-in-Box packaging solution. (Image credits: Smurfit Kappa)Finally, for those who want to expand their technical knowledge of the Bag-in-Box and Pouch-Up packaging solution range, Smurfit Kappa and Vitop – a paper-based packaging solutions company under Smurfit Kappa – provide Bag-in-Box science seminars which are available either virtually or in real life for the packaged wine, fruit juice and water industries.
“Conscious Consumerism”
The company is continuing on its environmentally sustainable path after a recent survey by Smurfit Kappa provided insights into how “Conscious Consumerism” continues to drive the need for UK organizations to embed environmental sustainability into business operations. Within this shift, the burgeoning demand for transparency, propelled by next-generation consumers, is emphasized.
The survey highlights how two-thirds of UK businesses have struggled to measure the bottom-line impact of their sustainability strategies. Moving ahead, the company expects environmental sustainability to remain a priority for businesses in a post-COVID-19 era, propelled by what is coined “The Consumer Effect.”
Smurfit Kappa also reported significant progress in reducing its relative CO2 emissions in its recently-published 13th annual Sustainable Development Report (SDR). The paper-based packaging provider recorded a 32.9 percent reduction in fossil CO2 emission intensity between 2005 and 2019. While Smurfit Kappa regards these results as an “impressive achievement,” the company’s current target is more ambitious as it seeks to reduce relative CO2 emissions by 40 percent by 2030 in comparison to the 2005 baseline.
Recently, the company launched an eco-centric packaging solution that keeps frozen and chilled foods fresh throughout the supply chain. Made from a 100 percent paper-based combination of Hexacomb and corrugated materials, the Thermo Box keeps frozen food including fish at temperatures similar to expanded polystyrene (EPS) boxes. For this solution, Smurfit Kappa was approached by Netherlands-headquartered Patani Global Food, a global supplier of fresh and frozen foods including vegetables, meat and fish and non-food products for the catering industry.
As the beverage industry continues to seek alternatives to plastic packaging, Smurfit Kappa also launched a portfolio consisting of three paper-based solutions, called the Smurfit Kappa GreenClip, the TopClip and the Nor-Grip. Replacing single-use plastic, the new portfolio is 100 percent recyclable, renewable and biodegradable. The innovations present an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic packaging while still facilitating the sale of single units.
By Kristiana Lalou
