GERMANY – DS Smith, a manufacturer specializing in paperboard and packaging, has crafted an innovative packaging solution for a gas boiler manufactured by Bosch Home Comfort Group, utilizing paperboard exclusively, devoid of any plastic components.
Contrary to preceding packaging alternatives requiring two EPS (Styrofoam) elements, this solution has eradicated all plastic packaging components.
The consequential impact of this initiative has been the elimination of 100,000 plastic elements, culminating in a remarkable annual reduction of 310 tonnes of CO2 emissions, as reported by the company.
The new plastic-free product innovation is also in line with the sustainability goals of Bosch Home Comfort Group, who requested that the design be fully recyclable.
Bosch explicitly mandated that the design adheres to full recyclability, a criterion seamlessly met by DS Smith.
DS Smith articulates, “The fully recyclable mono-material packaging solution made from corrugated cardboard saves 100,000 plastic parts and 310 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually while supporting sustainability goals.”
The DS Smith team of designers used the company’s “Circular Design Metrics” approach in combination with the company’s Value Tool to demonstrate the full lifecycle benefits of its packaging.
The process uses eight metrics to create the various aspects of a packaging solution for environmental sustainability and recyclability in a standardized and quantifiable way.
For example, within five categories related to the plastic-free Bosch Home Comfort Group, an improvement could be determined.
“We are helping our industry clients to become plastic-free, protecting the product right across the supply cycle and are very pleased to be working with Bosch Home Comfort Group,” says Stefan Endres, account manager at DS Smith, Germany.
“After an extensive consultation with the customer, we decided that using our expertise in sustainable industrial packaging combined with our proven tools is a recipe for success.
‘Our Circular Design Metrics were utilized in combination with our Value Tool in order to transparently illustrate the benefits of this fully recyclable monomaterial packaging to the customer.”
Last month, Ds Smith initiated a new trial in collaboration with environmental research startup Nafici to fabricate packaging from “second harvest” materials.
This partnership signifies a progression within DS Smith’s Now & Next strategy, a strategic response to the growing call for a more circular approach in the company’s supply chains.
DS Smith’s research team suggests that utilizing second-harvest materials, like straw and brewers’ spent grain, could potentially conserve up to 10% of the virgin fibers typically used in the papermaking process. This offers a viable means to supplement traditional sources, according to the researchers.
For all the latest packaging and printing industry news from Africa and the World, subscribe to our NEWSLETTER, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
