DS Smith, an international leader in sustainable and fibre-based packaging solutions, is replacing plastic pallets for canned products with corrugated cardboard in collaboration in conjunction with Denmark’s largest industrial producer of shellfish and seafood, Vilsund Blue A/S.
In collaboration with Vilsund Blue A/S, the DS Smith team of expert designers sought an innovative solution to eliminate the use of plastic and applied their unique and industry-first Circular Design Metrics (CDM) tool to rate and compare the circularity of potential new packaging designs across eight different indicators, including carbon footprint, design for reuse, supply chain optimization, and material utilization. The CDM sustainability measurement tools give a clear indication of a design’s circularity to reveal a range of packaging solutions for respective customer requirements.
The new fibre-based packaging solution for Vilsund Blue A/S is intended to increase the number of canned units on each individual pallet, and as a result the company has increased its capacity to install 1,800 cans per pallet for the transportation and freight of products, to 2,700. In addition, the Vilsund Blue A/S products can now be stacked and stored more efficiently and are made compact for the retail shelf.
According to Martin Nielsen, Technical Support Manager, DS Smith:
“Vilsund Blue set us a challenge to eliminate plastic materials from their pallets and to protect the products and assure and optimise a sustainability performance throughout the supply chain. They produce mussels at scale, and we collaborated with Vilsund Blue’s machine suppliers to ensure that the packaging was fully aligned with their production processes. We have also significantly reduced CO2 emissions and the product looks great on the shelf.”
Bent Svenningsen, Production Manager, Vilsund Blue A./S commented:
"DS Smith came up with some fantastic solutions to help to make our packaging more sustainable and circular. We wanted to replace the plastic in our pallets and DS Smith have helped us to develop a pure corrugated cardboard alternative. We take immense pride in our commitment to quality and the team of experts at DS Smith are helping us to realise some of our sustainability objectives.”
Vilsund Blue A/S has three industrial sites in Nykøbing Mors, Denmark, and around seventy employees are responsible for cooking, packing, and distributing up to 250 tonnes of fresh shellfish, daily. The company also produces preserves, powder, and other products alongside fresh shellfish.
Through its purpose of 'Redefining Packaging for a Changing World' and its companywide Now and Next sustainability strategy, DS Smith is committed to leading a transition to the circular economy and to delivering innovative sustainable packaging solutions for its customers and society at large. The company launched its Now & Next Sustainability strategy in 2020. It is helping customers worldwide reach their sustainability and circular economy objectives.