Smurfit Kappa launches SupplySmart digital solution for packaging adaptation

29 Nov 2023 --- Smurfit Kappa is launching its latest “SupplySmart” digital solution, which helps businesses adapt their packaging to increase efficiency and reduce emissions across supply chains. SupplySmart has evolved to tackle increased supply chain complexities and uncertainties.

Using analyses of over 100,000 supply chains, the solution identifies opportunities for optimization across the entire length of the supply chain. Its new digital twin feature also allows businesses to test their updated packaging in a virtual environment to eliminate risks ahead of implementation.

Gérard van den Boogaard, Smurfit Kappa supply chain innovation director, says: “We’ve seen how businesses are increasingly assessing how they can best manage their supply chains to address growing complexities and risk alongside keeping costs down and meeting their sustainability goals.”

“Our enhanced SupplySmart digital tool provides our customers with a risk-free solution for realizing efficiencies and improvements across their supply chain, enabling them to better respond to market opportunities. It can also identify where sometimes the simplest packaging changes, such as packaging orientation, can lead to significant reductions in both waste and emissions. At Smurfit Kappa, we are creating packaging that delivers on a low-carbon, circular future.”

As a case study, Henkel partnered with Smurfit Kappa to launch a compact and environmentally sustainable paper-based alternative to plastic packaging for its dishwasher tablets.

SupplySmart was used to build a digital model of Henkel’s supply chain to achieve the company’s goals of reducing CO2 emissions while introducing a more user-friendly and compact pack.

The redesigned dishwasher tablet pack resulted in 66% less volume for the package and has helped to reduce CO2 emissions during transport by as much as 44%. The new sustainable solution also enables easy handling, is easy to store, and is fully recyclable.

Marcel Daube, international packaging developer of Henkel’s Consumer Brands division, says: “Smurfit Kappa’s SupplySmart solution has supported us in achieving a number of our key business objectives. It's not just a change in design; it’s driving sustainability and efficiencies across our entire supply chain.”

“Our commitment to responsible business has found its perfect partner in this innovative packaging, helping us reduce waste, minimize our environmental footprint, and deliver on our sustainability objectives.”

Edited by Louis Gore-Langton

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