DS Smith and Raymarine, a manufacturer of navigation systems and electronics for the commercial marine and recreational boating sector, have teamed up on a fibre-based alternative to single-use plastic for the company’s radar product line packaging.
For the new packaging, the DS Smith design team used fibre-based corrugated cardboard materials to replace Expanded Polyethylene (EPE foam) in Raymarine’s previous solution. The company says this ensures that the radar products are provided with ‘maximum protection’ against vibrations, unforeseeable physical impacts and knocks during their transit and transportation to local and international customers.
In addition, the innovation has ‘successfully eliminated’ plastic and ‘significantly reduced’ CO2 emissions by over 60% a year, in comparison to Raymarine’s previous packaging solutions. In warehousing and distribution processes, the provision of corrugated cardboard inserts in flat packs is said to reduce the number of pallets required by 75% in comparison to previous packaging solutions, where padding components were typically shipped as a single item.
The DS Smith team incorporated a perpendicular shaped corrugated cardboard flute with a 90-degree angle into the packaging structure, aiming to provide built-in strength and a reinforced capacity to withstand shocks. They also introduced crumple zone layers to deform and absorb energy in the event of a collision, and installed fibre-based air cushions to provide additional support.
The packaging structure contains ‘precisely shaped’ corrugated cardboard inserts to ensure that Raymarine’s Quantum radar products are held securely in place. The inserts are manufactured using a dedicated folding technique and an additional box within the design to package product accessories and components separately.
Levente Szabó, cluster director of DS Smith Hungary, comments: “When assessing a new packaging design our process and development research considers the type of materials used, production, transportation, distribution, and supply chain optimization. This packaging for Raymarine is made from 84% recycled content versus 40% in previous packaging and it is 100% recyclable at end of life. We have successfully replaced EPE, and we can support manufacturers in both consumer and industrial sectors.”
Last year DS Smith and Dynamic Logistic Systems (DLS) partnered on a new range of 100% recyclable cardboard buffers for the protection of critical industrial machine parts. The corrugated cardboard buffers are intended to provide ‘optimal protection’ for DLS’ automated systems for internal logistics and infrastructure, against shocks and vibrations during transportation to customers in local and international destinations.
In October last year, Smurfit Westrock developed a corrugated cardboard solution for medical device company Dermalux, designed to protect products during transit and replace the previous expanded polystyrene (EPS) and plastic packaging. The solution replaced EPS with corrugated cardboard and Smurfit Westrock’s Hexacomb material, seeking to align with regulations such as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
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