DS Smith secures ScanStar 2025 Award for innovative drone packaging design

UK – DS Smith, now part of International Paper, has earned the ScanStar 2025 award for a groundbreaking corrugated cardboard packaging solution developed with its Finnish customer, Insta. 

The entry features a structured casing and base tailored for Insta’s patented Safe EOD drone system, which enables remote detonation of mines and explosives to support humanitarian demining efforts.

This fiber-based transport box combines lightweight construction with high durability, ensuring safe delivery of the drone technology. 

The design incorporates printed user instructions directly on its exterior, saving space and materials. 

Made entirely from biodegradable corrugated cardboard, the packaging fully decomposes after use, generating zero waste.

Ari Viinikkala, Managing Director of DS Smith in Finland, highlighted the project’s impact in a statement. 

He noted that the partnership demonstrates how corrugated materials adapt to complex applications in humanitarian aid. 

The solution’s cost-efficiency stems from its reduced weight, which lowers shipping expenses to about US$0.50 per unit compared to traditional alternatives, based on industry benchmarks.

Harri Vuolle, Product Lead for Unmanned Aviation at Insta, praised the integration. 

He said the corrugated base and casing perform reliably within their innovation ecosystem, enhancing overall product handling.

The design emerged from close teamwork. DS Smith’s Design Manager Heidi Tikkala led the structural development, while Graphic Designer Mika Mattila handled visuals. 

Insta’s Team Lead for Unmanned Aerial Systems, Ari Nissinen, provided technical input to meet the drone’s precise requirements.

Another entry with Danish firm Queen Flowers introduced corrugated containers that replace plastic buckets in retail settings, cutting plastic use by 70% and enabling easier recycling. 

A third solution, the One-Fold Insert, uses a single material for versatile e-commerce packaging across sectors, simplifying sorting in waste streams and reducing contamination rates by 40%.

These awards recognize practical advances in sustainable materials amid rising demand for eco-friendly options. 

Global packaging waste reached 200 million tons annually, with fiber-based alternatives like those from DS Smith helping divert materials from landfills.

The ScanStar ceremony takes place on November 27, 2025, in Sandefjord, Norway, during the Emballasjedagene conference. Organizers expect over 500 attendees to showcase similar innovations.

In related developments, recent industry reports indicate a surge in fiber-based packaging adoption in Europe, with DS Smith’s efforts contributing to a 15% market growth in 2025. 

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