DS Smith, an International Paper company, and leading provider of fibre-based and sustainable packaging solutions, and Schneider Electric a global energy technology leader and specialist in energy management, automation, and digitalization, have collaborated to innovate a universal High-performance Electrical Switchgear packaging design for three different types of integrated electrical switchgear products. The packaging development supports Schneider Electric’s broader sustainability ambitions by reducing material use and improving circularity in the supply chain.
The switchgear components are integrated into the switchgear cabinet as a part of a finished final design, and the pioneering packaging solution is comprised of corrugated cardboard and fully recyclable. This reflects Schneider Electric’s commitment to reducing environmental impact across its value chain and aligning packaging choices with broader circularity and decarbonization goals. The focus of its design is intended to facilitate its secure attachment to the moving parts of the large industrial products and ensure that they are easy to handle and manoeuvre during the production, transportation, and supply chain process.
Design for mobility
The packaging solution is also designed to fit easily into automated production lines, and the heavy-duty weight of the electrical switchgear products means that they can only be moved and packed from the side with the use of an industrial manipulator (a specialised rigid arm-lifting device designed to assist in the handling of heavy, awkward, or fragile packages).
The moving parts of the three electrical switchgear products, require securing into the correct position to be safely transported, while the packaging provides protection during challenging or unexpected transportation and supply chain conditions. An openable side tray provides a stable base, ensuring easy handling, and to ensure that the products can be firmly anchored into place for optimum product protection.
In addition, the parts are fixed with the same corrugated cardboard sheet elements and integrated into a separate endcap. The packaging solution is inclusive of a polyethylene bag to protect the greased elements of the product from dust. Similarly, metal connectors are protected by a simple folded corrugated cardboard insert, and each side element is glued together with several layers of corrugated cardboard to provide the highest-level of stability. The multi-layered endcaps are also comprised of fibre-based corrugated cardboard materials.
Safety components
The DS Smith design and implementation team drop tested the packaging solution as a part of the design and compliancy process, and as a controlled procedure to assess the products durability and safety by releasing it from a set height to measure its resistance to impact, shocks, and potential structural damage. It is also designed to negate unused or void space and to be compact to optimise the use of as few materials as possible, with reduced freight and storage costs. The packaging initiative complements Schneider Electric’s sustainability efforts, which span the company’s whole value chain. As part of its SSI (Schneider Sustainability Impact) program, which ended last year, Schneider Electric increased the share of primary and secondary packaging free from single-use plastic, using recycled cardboard to 85% by the last quarter of 2025.
Levente Szabó, Cluster Director, DS Smith Hungary, comments
"The Electrical Switchgear is a complex industrial product, and it can be incredibly heavy and delicate to transport, and so achieving the correct balance between protection, handling efficiency, and sustainability, is absolutely key in a packaging solution. This design demonstrates what can be achieved with fibre-based and corrugated cardboard solutions. The intention was to make a solution that is not only robust, but fast and easy to assemble, and both sustainability and recyclability are extremely important factors for our customer.”
Despite the complexity of the High-performance Electrical Switchgear packaging solution, its components can be assembled in less than one minute on any advanced and automated packaging line, with minimal folding required during the assembly process.
The High-performance Electrical Switchgear packaging for Schneider Electric was awarded in the Electronics category at the WorldStar Global Packaging Awards for 2026.
DS Smith has a target-led sustainability strategy and is committed to leading an industry-wide transition to a circular economy while delivering sustainable circular solutions for its customers worldwide.