Smurfit Kappa: CNBC's The Edge: The Future of Packaging

Summary

At 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

00:00

🌱 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.

Keywords

💡Plastic Reduction

Plastic Reduction refers to the intentional decrease in the use of plastic materials in various industries to minimize environmental impact. In the video, the theme revolves around companies like Smurfette Kappa developing alternatives to plastic in packaging, aiming to radically reduce the amount of plastic used, which is a direct response to changing attitudes towards plastic and its environmental consequences.

💡Packaging Company

A Packaging Company is a business that specializes in the production of packaging materials and solutions for other companies' products. Smurfette Kappa, mentioned in the script, is one of the world's largest packaging companies, and they are at the forefront of creating paper-based packaging solutions to replace plastic, showcasing their role in the industry's shift towards sustainability.

💡Paper-based Packaging

Paper-based Packaging is a type of packaging material made from paper or paperboard, which is considered more environmentally friendly compared to plastic. The script discusses how Smurfette Kappa is developing 100% paper packaging solutions that are compostable and recyclable, highlighting the innovation in this area as a response to the demand for eco-friendly alternatives.

💡Compostable

Compostable refers to materials that can decompose naturally and safely in an industrial or home composting system. In the context of the video, 'firm as he called ago paper' is described as compostable, meaning it can be returned to the soil enriching it as a fertilizer, which is a significant environmental benefit over traditional plastic packaging.

💡Recyclable

Recyclable materials can be collected, processed, and transformed into new products after their initial use. The script emphasizes that the paper packaging solutions developed by Smurfette Kappa are fully recyclable, which is a key aspect of their sustainability efforts and a response to the global push for a circular economy.

💡Innovation

Innovation is the process of translating an idea or invention into a good or service that creates value or for which customers will pay. The video script describes how Smurfette Kappa's team is innovating by creating new paper-based packaging solutions that replace plastic, demonstrating the company's commitment to finding sustainable alternatives.

💡Barrier

In packaging, a Barrier refers to a material's ability to prevent the passage of gases, liquids, or other substances. The script mentions the challenge of creating a paper-based barrier for products like ketchup bottles, which traditionally require plastic due to its impermeability, indicating the technical hurdles in developing paper alternatives.

💡E-commerce Channel

The E-commerce Channel refers to the means through which goods and services are bought and sold over the internet. The script discusses how Smurfette Kappa has developed paper-based solutions specifically for the e-commerce channel, such as gluing paper inside boxes to wrap products, which is a sustainable alternative to bubble plastic traditionally used for shipping.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability is the ability to maintain processes or conditions so that they can continue over the long term without depleting resources or causing environmental harm. The entire video script is centered on the concept of sustainability, as companies like Smurfette Kappa are developing packaging solutions that reduce plastic use and embrace more sustainable materials and practices.

💡Moisture and Durability

Moisture and Durability are critical factors in packaging, especially when transitioning from plastic to paper. The script mentions that Smurfette Kappa is focusing on innovating paper to have properties similar to plastic in terms of moisture resistance and durability, which is essential for creating effective and long-lasting packaging solutions.

💡Renewable Resources

Renewable Resources are natural resources that can be replenished over time, such as plants or sunlight. The video script highlights the company's efforts to develop coatings for paper packaging based on renewable resources like corn or wheat, which aligns with the broader theme of sustainability and reducing reliance on non-renewable materials.

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]