Smurfit improve sustainability operations with paper pallet wrap
PACKAGING giant Smurfit Westrock has improved their sustainability operations with an innovative new paper pallet wrap.
The Irish-headquartered company, whose Ballymount premises is their packaging head office, has produced a 100% paper-based alternative to the polyethylene stretch wrap that is commonly used to stabilise pallet loads in transportation.
The product is helping companies make their supply chains “significantly more sustainable” and is the latest addition to Smurfit Westrock’s Better Planet packaging portfolio, which seeks to reduce the environmental impact of packaging.
The global stretch wrap was valued at €4.14bn in 2023 and is projected to grow significantly.
The pallet wrap is made from Nertop Stretch Kraft paper, which is fully recyclable, and its capabilities also include high energy absorption and strong performance in humid conditions.
Glass supplier Encirc was the first company in the UK to use the new paper wrap, and named Smurfit Westrock as sustainability champion at its partnership day in September.
Jemma Jones, national account manager at Smurfit Westrock, said: “Like Smurfit Westrock, Encirc is committed to the circular economy and immediately recognised the significant CO2-reducing potential of the paper wrap.
“Traditional stretch wrap is the go-to for many companies but our paper-based alternative does as good a job and – vitally – is much easier to recycle at the end of use.”
New York-listed Smurfit Westrock resulted from the 2024 merger of Smurfit Kappa and Westrock.
The company, which has 100,000 staff in more than 40 countries, reported net sales of €7.47bn and adjusted earnings of €1.26bn in Q3.