DS Smith to acquire CCC to boost its box-making capacity

Stora Enso’s design for eco-friendly pellet packaging was awarded with a prestigious Worldstar award. The renewable and recyclable packaging is designed for heavy use in transporting and warehousing of wood pellets for heating. The awarded packaging is a sustainable alternative to the standard plastic bag used in the pellet industry. In the packaging design work, special attention was paid to usability, recyclability and visual appearance. The 12 kg pellet box, which replaces a plastic bag, is easy to bring home from the store thanks to the carrying handle. The packaging is a collaboration between Finnish packaging designer Karoliina Pennanen and the Stora Enso Packaging Automation team.

Beverage makers such as Rockstar and Celsius are innovating to keep their current consumers and reach new ones — and packaging manufacturers are along for the ride. When energy drink manufacturers work with packaging supplier WestRock on projects such as rethinking their multipacks, they have a few requests. “We see the ongoing ask of us as suppliers to do things better, faster, cheaper, more sustainable,” said John Perkins, vice president of global packaging systems at WestRock. It may seem like a laundry list, but it’s critical in the buzzing sector that is energy drinks. Established companies, like Monster and Red Bull, are revamping portfolios and packaging designs.

Ahlstrom further broadens its range of release papers by introducing new products that support the design of more sustainable double-sided Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (PSA) tapes. With many everyday uses, double-sided PSA tapes are hidden components inside many common products. They join different parts or materials with strength, durability, and versatility. While they often directly perform a sustainable function by replacing heavier and more impactful elements, they can also be manufactured with increasingly sustainable materials. An extension of Ahlstrom’s Acti-V® Industrial dedicated range of high-performance release liners, the new products offer novel options to support environmentally conscious tape producers, thanks to the use of post-consumer recycled fiber, and unbleached cellulose fibers: *Acti-V® Industrial RF Brown is a supercalendered release paper including 30% post-consumer recycled fiber, and featuring the typical brown color used in double-sided adhesive tape liners; *Acti-V® Industrial RF Natural is a supercalendered release paper featuring a natural kraft color, based on a combination of post-consumer recycled cellulose fiber (at least 15%) and unbleached cellulose fibers