Industry News Sustainability can’t wait P


andemic cannot mean sustainability takes a back seat warns packaging giant New European research


shows that the Covid-19 pandemic has led to new shopping habits - but consumers continue to prioritise sustainable packaging 85% of people say they want


to buy products that use as little packaging as possible Almost a third (29%) say they have


stopped buying particular brands because their packaging was not sustainable Packaging giant DS Smith is


warning brands and retailers that the Covid-19 pandemic does not mean they can overlook their environmental efforts after European research shows that shoppers continue to prioritise sustainable packaging. The new study, conducted by


DS Smith and Ipsos MORI, a global leader in market research, reveals that despite the global health crisis, shoppers still have their eye on the environment; with 85% of consumers wanting to buy products that use


as little packaging as possible, and almost a third (29%) admitting that they have stopped buying particular brands altogether because their packaging was not sustainable. The analysis was carried out among 9000 respondents across 12 European countries and shows that while shopping habits may have changed, sustainability continues to be key. The pandemic has led two-thirds


(68%) to agree that they try to spend as little time in-store as possible, and has prompted sizeable growth in e-commerce. It is important therefore to note that half (48%) of online shoppers say they have received ‘unsustainable’ e-commerce packing, and one in five (22%) say they have stopped buying from some online retailers because the packaging they sent was not sustainable. Stefano Rossi, CEO DS Smith


Packaging commented: “We’ve spent the last eight months helping our customers adapt to a seismic shift in consumer behaviour and the ever- evolving challenges of the pandemic. As a leader in innovative packaging


solutions we need to understand how consumer attitudes change to be able to best serve our customers and society. This new research not only reveals what has changed because of Covid-19, it also shows what priorities have endured and that sustainability is still front-of-mind for consumers across Europe. Retailers and brands need to embrace sustainable packaging at such an important time to ensure they reap the environmental and consumer benefits.” Hygiene is another concern for


consumers with more than half (57%) saying they wash their hands thoroughly after touching e-commerce packaged products and 30% throw packaging away more quickly - highlighting the need for visible, straightforward disposal information.


56% of shoppers now worry about


how many people have touched in- store products (78% in Portugal, 68% in Spain and 65% in the UK). As a consequence, some choose items from the back of the shelf which people are less likely to have touched. One in three (33%) also wash


or disinfect all loose items such as fruit and vegetables and 12% now avoid buying loose unpacked goods (22% in Finland and 19% in the UK). In response to this, DS Smith has developed a host of new innovative packaging designs such as corrugated punnets for fruits and vegetables, eco-boxes for eggs, and handling solutions for bottles and dairy products. DS Smith expects the need for


new sustainable packaging solutions will rise in the coming months, with the company continuing to apply its Circular Design Principles – developed in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation - to design high-performing, circular packaging solutions to meet the evolving challenges of the marketplace. The principles reflect DS Smith’s


aim to use packaging and recycling to enable the circular economy, a goal laid out in its recently launched Now and Next Sustainability Strategy. Two of the company’s focus areas are to offer 100% reusable or recyclable packaging and to replace problem plastics with sustainable alternatives.


SAICA PACK El Prat crushes casemaker world record


On Saturday, October, 3, SAICA PACK el Prat established a new world record for a casemaker line in an 8 hour shift. The previous record, established


at 160.000 boxes, was broken on a Martin FFG 924 NT RS, with 7 printing units and Alliance prefeeder and palletiser. The new world record, certified by Bobst, manufacturer of the machine, has been established at 188.540 boxes (+18%). The working shift, from 06.00h to


14.00h registered 7h 51 minutes of effective run time, at an average speed of 24.380 boxes per hour, with peaks of 32.000 boxes per hour, achieved on the final stretch of the day. With a total surface of 87.372m2 in the shift 4 Green Packaging International ● Winter 2020


and an average of 11.298 net m2/hour. The line, installed in September,


2017, as part of SAICA’s massive Renove Investment Plan (250 Million


euros), can produce two or three boxes per feed, thanks to Bobst’s “Multifold” system. SAICA PACK el Prat has specialised


in the production of Packaging for Fast Moving Consumer Goods in Barcelona’s area of influence. The site is equipped with the latest technology, quality controls based of Artificial Intelligence checking 100% of boxes regarding print, gap and gluing. The plant is the local leader in packaging for food and drinks and E-commerce. A speaker for SAICA PACK El


Prat commented “Thanks to these tremendous productivity improvements, we can deliver the best service available to our customers, with the best quality standards. We are really proud to hold this world record.”


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