Smurfit Kappa: CNBC's The Edge: The Future of Packaging
Summary
TLDRAt Smurfit Kappa's global experience center in Amsterdam, the company is pioneering paper-based packaging solutions to significantly reduce plastic use. Innovations include compostable 'firm as paper' for agriculture, a back in box solution for ketchup bottles, and a slope integrator for detergent packaging. Smurfit Kappa is also developing recyclable coatings to enhance paper's functionality, capitalizing on the growing trend towards sustainable packaging as attitudes towards plastic change.
Takeaways
- 🌍 Smurfette Kappa, one of the world's largest packaging companies, is innovating paper-based packaging solutions to reduce plastic use globally.
- 🌱 The company's 'firm as he called ago paper' is 100% compostable, recyclable, and used in agriculture, particularly in Spain, and is being rolled out across Europe.
- 🚜 This paper can be plowed into the ground as a fertilizer, replacing 720,000 tons of polyethylene that was previously used.
- 📦 Smurfette Kappa is developing 'back in box' solutions to replace plastic packaging with 60% less plastic, such as for ketchup bottles.
- 🧴 For detergent packaging, a slope integrator inside the box allows the product to be dispensed by gravity, reducing the need for plastic.
- 🛍️ E-commerce packaging solutions involve gluing paper inside boxes to wrap products, eliminating the need for bubble plastic and promoting a 100% paper-based solution.
- 🔄 The company is focusing on engineering waterproof and protective coatings for cardboard to mimic plastic properties, ensuring recyclability.
- 🛠️ Innovation at Smurfette Kappa includes examining production processes, raw materials, and applying different ingredients and fiber types to enhance paper functionality.
- 🌾 They are exploring coatings based on renewable resources like corn or wheat to make paper more versatile for various applications while maintaining sustainability.
- 💼 Smurfette Kappa's CEO, Tony Smurf, sees a great opportunity for business growth as sustainability becomes a priority and attitudes towards plastic change.
- 🌐 The macro trends favor the company, with senior executives embracing sustainability and seeking to replace unsustainable materials.
Q & A
What is the main focus of Smurfette Kappa's global experience center in Amsterdam?
-The main focus is on developing paper-based packaging solutions to reduce the amount of plastic used in packaging for clients worldwide.
Who is Arco Birkin Bosch and what is his role at Smurfette Kappa?
-Arco Birkin Bosch is the Vice President of Innovation and Development at Smurfette Kappa, where he introduces and discusses the latest product designs created by the team.
What is the significance of the 'firm as ago paper' mentioned in the script?
-The 'firm as ago paper' is a 100% compostable and recyclable paper product used in agriculture, particularly in Spain, which helps replace polyethylene and serves as a fertilizer for the soil.
How does Smurfette Kappa address the challenge of replacing plastic bottles for ketchup with paper?
-They invented a 'back in box' solution that incorporates a plastic back and a corrugated box, reducing the amount of plastic by 60% without compromising the barrier properties needed.
What is the 'slope integrator' and how does it contribute to sustainability?
-The 'slope integrator' is a design feature inside a box for detergent that allows the plastic bottle filled with detergent to sit on a slope, enabling gravity to push the last piece of detergent out, thus reducing the need for additional packaging.
Can you explain the e-commerce channel solution developed by Smurfette Kappa?
-The e-commerce channel solution involves gluing paper inside a box to wrap around the product, eliminating the need for bubble plastic and providing a 100% paper-based alternative for packaging.
What is the 'nor gap' and how does it improve sustainability in packaging?
-The 'nor gap' is a paper-based packaging solution for bottles that is convenient to handle and 100% recyclable, replacing the unsustainable practice of using plastic bands to hold bottles together.
Why is it important for Smurfette Kappa to develop waterproof and protective coatings for cardboard?
-Developing such coatings is crucial to mimic the properties of plastic and make cardboard a viable alternative for packaging, especially in areas requiring moisture and durability.
What kind of coatings is Smurfette Kappa looking to develop for their paper products?
-They are developing coatings that are based on renewable resources, such as corn or wheat starch, that can dissolve in the paper recycling system without creating additional waste.
How does Smurfette Kappa's CEO, Tony Smurf, view the current trends in sustainability?
-Tony Smurf sees it as a very exciting time for the business, with macro trends and people's attitudes, especially of senior executives, moving in favor of sustainability and the replacement of unsustainable materials.
What is the ultimate goal of Smurfette Kappa's innovation in paper packaging?
-The ultimate goal is to innovate and stretch the functionality of paper, especially in terms of moisture and durability, to create packaging solutions that are sustainable, recyclable, and can replace plastic in various applications.
Outlines
🌱 Sustainable Packaging Innovations
The script introduces the shift towards sustainable packaging materials, focusing on Smurfette Kappa, a leading packaging company based in Amsterdam. The company is developing paper-based packaging solutions to significantly reduce plastic usage. Arco Birkin Bosch, VP of Innovation and Development, showcases compostable and recyclable 'firm as ago paper' used in agriculture, which also serves as a fertilizer. This innovation alone replaces 720,000 tons of polyethylene. The company is also tackling challenges such as creating paper alternatives for plastic bottles, with a 'back and box' solution that reduces plastic by 60%. Other examples include a slope integrator for detergent boxes and a paper-based e-commerce packaging solution, all aimed at recyclability and sustainability. The company is also researching waterproof and protective coatings for cardboard to mimic plastic properties, focusing on recyclability and using renewable resources for these coatings.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Plastic Reduction
💡Packaging Company
💡Paper-based Packaging
💡Compostable
💡Recyclable
💡Innovation
💡Barrier
💡E-commerce Channel
💡Sustainability
💡Moisture and Durability
💡Renewable Resources
Highlights
Changing attitudes towards plastic presents opportunities for alternative materials and manufacturers.
Smurfette Kappa, one of the world's largest packaging companies, is developing paper-based packaging solutions to reduce plastic use.
The company's global experience center in Amsterdam is the hub for innovative packaging designs.
Arco Birkin Bosch, VP of Innovation and Development, introduces new compostable and recyclable paper products.
Firm as he called ago paper is used in agriculture, serving as a compostable material and fertilizer.
The paper packaging replaces 720,000 tons of polyethylene, significantly reducing plastic usage.
Back in box solution challenges the conventional plastic bottle packaging with a 60% reduction in plastic.
Innovative slope integrator inside detergent boxes allows for easy dispensing and reduced plastic content.
E-commerce channel solutions involve paper-based packaging that eliminates the need for bubble plastic.
Consumer-friendly packaging solutions are recyclable and part of the same cycling system.
Non-Glue packaging is developed for bottles, offering convenience and 100% paper-based alternatives.
Smurfette Kappa is engineering waterproof and protective coatings for cardboard to mimic plastic properties.
The company is focused on developing recyclable coatings that dissolve in the paper recycling system.
Research into coatings based on renewable resources, such as corn or wheat, to enhance paper functionality.
Sustainability is becoming a priority across industries, driving innovation in packaging materials.
Smurfer Kappa's CEO, Tony Smurf, sees a great opportunity for business growth with the shift towards sustainable practices.
Macro trends and executives' attitudes towards sustainability are favoring the adoption of eco-friendly materials.
Transcripts
[Music]
changing attitudes towards plastic is
presenting great opportunities for other
materials and their manufacturers we
visited one of the world's largest
packaging companies Smurfette Kappa at
its global experience Center in
Amsterdam the Netherlands where a team
are working on paper based packaging
solutions for clients from all over the
world all aiming to radically reduce the
amount of plastic in their packaging
Smurfette Kappas vice president of
innovation and development Arco Birkin
Bosch introduced us to some of the
latest product designs created by the
team here in Amsterdam this is firm as
he called ago paper he said hundred
percent paper is compostable it's fully
recyclable and it's used in going
agricultural especially in Spain and
we're rolling it now out all over Europe
so you have to imagine that this paper
is put on the land and the cops are
planted through it and then they go and
at the end of the season they don't have
to remove the paper
it's just plowed into the ground and is
even a kind of fertilizer for the ground
so it replaces seven hundred twenty
thousand tons of poly ethylene that was
used until now this is the back in box
solution and sometimes it's really
challenging if you have something like
this like a plastic bottle for ketchup
you come to replace it 100% by paper
since paper simply doesn't have the most
barrier to do it so what we invented was
a back and box solution for that and
this way you have a plastic back in
there you have a corrugated box you have
reduced amount of plastic with 60% other
examples of that is what we have done
for tight for detergent since inside the
box there's a slope integrator so the
plastic the back filled with detergent
is on the slope so that gravity really
pushes the last piece of detergent out
of the tap into your holder for the
washing machine
this is a partial solution search for
the e-commerce channel so what we have
done is we've glued a paper inside the
box which you'll wrap around the product
so again it's all paper solutions well
in the past you needed this kind of
bubble plastic to wrap the products so
it's a home the percent replacement of a
plastic by paper based solution and
again for the consumer and the box and
the holder can all go in the same a
cycling system in the past these kind of
bottles were sold with staff head around
it and that hold them together but it's
not very sustainable and created very
unsustainable image so we developed the
nor gap you have this for two bottles
for big bottles for small bottles very
convenient to handle and 100%
paper-based as food producers and
retailers move away from plastic in
favor of cardboard the pressure is on to
engineer waterproof and protective
coatings that can bring the properties
of plastic to cardboard something Smurf
a CAPA is taking very seriously to
innovate and to stretch the
functionality of paper especially in the
areas of moisture and durability we look
at our production processes we look at
our raw materials we look at applying
different ingredients different fiber
types to the paper and we also looking
at can be applied coatings I think the
main challenge is to have a coating that
together with the paper stays recyclable
so what we are looking in is developing
coatings that played a role between
let's say 0-60 degrees but as soon as
they come in the typical paper recycling
system they dissolve and they create no
additional waste in the process we are
looking for coatings that are based on
renewable resources so if you look at
coatings we looking at coatings that
based or stars of corn or wheat or all
kinds of metal materials and we see if
we can modify this kind of coatings to
apply them to paper to probably never
make paper fully water resistant but at
least stretch the limits so we can do
different applications with our paper
with sustainability increasingly
becoming a priority across all
industries smurfer kappa's CEO tony
smurf it sees great opportunity for the
business it's a very exciting time for
us when you see the the macro trends
moving in our favor and i think one of
the more important things that's really
moving in our favor is people's attitude
especially executives senior executives
who are really embracing the concept of
sustainability and i think you see the
replacement of really unsustainable
materials and that's something that you
know our customers are really looking
forward to tour to embrace it
[Music]
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