deSter, a provider of food packaging and serviceware concepts to the aviation and foodservice industries, has entered a strategic partnership with PulPac.
Together they will focus on developing and manufacturing fibre-based, single-use food packaging products using PulPac’s patented technology, which dry moulds pulp into solid packaging and single-use products.
In support of the new project, deSter is currently deploying a multi-million-euro investment in new machinery in order to use the technology and base production close to its customers. These moves will also be facilitated by the Flemish Government, who has awarded deSter a major development grant, due to the nature of the project.
The resulting solutions will be made from renewable, locally-sourced FSC-certified materials. The companies also report that items produced using Pulpac’s methods can be recycled through normal recycling streams and are biodegradable under natural conditions without the need for commercial composting.
Meanwhile, in comparison to the traditional wet moulded technologies used to produce, for example, sugar cane waste items, no water is used during production.
“Our customers are demanding sustainable packaging solutions. As a result, we are making substantial investments in new production methodologies in order to create truly sustainable products, which meet their needs,” said Stef Van de Perre, managing director at deSter.
“Local production facilities will ensure we are able to produce in proximity to all of our core markets. We will be able to minimize transportation which in turn will also significantly reduce our own carbon footprint,” Van de Perre continues.
Linus Larsson, CEO at PulPac, adds: “At PulPac it’s our vision to make impact at scale by supplying the industry with disruptive technologies for replacing plastics in packaging and disposables. The new-found partnership with deSter greatly adds to achieving this objective, looking at the magnitude and global scale of its operations in addition to its unique in-house design, engineering and manufacturing capabilities.”
