Smurfit Westrock’s innovative new paper pallet packaging helps businesses make their supply chains more sustainable.
Smurfit Westrock has developed a 100% paper-based alternative to the polyethylene stretch film commonly used to stabilize pallet loads during transport. The global market for stretch films was estimated at $4.27 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow significantly*.
The innovative new solution is made from Nertop® Stretch Kraft Paper, which is fully recyclable. Its features include high energy absorption and strong performance in wet conditions. The pallet wrapping is the latest addition to Smurfit Westrock's Better Planet Packaging portfolio, which aims to reduce the environmental impact of packaging.
Encirc, a leading glass supplier that manufactures over three billion containers annually, was the first company in the UK to use the new paper packaging. The company recognized Smurfit Westrock as a Sustainability Champion during its Partner Day in September, acknowledging the significant progress made through the use of the paper packaging.
Peter Ball, Head of Planning at Encirc, said, “Sustainability is at the core of everything we do at Encirc, and it’s encouraging that 85% of our beverage customers say that our sustainability credentials influenced their decision to choose Encirc. We know how important supply chain solutions are to all our business partners. For this reason, Encirc has worked with Smurfit Westrock to replace single-use plastic with a paper alternative, which is a first for the UK glass and bottle-filling industry.”
Jemma Jones, National Account Manager at Smurfit Westrock, added, “Like Smurfit Westrock, Encirc is committed to the circular economy and immediately recognized the significant CO2 reduction potential of the paper packaging. If they fully switched to the paper packaging, it would lead to a very substantial reduction in emissions. Traditional stretch film is the first choice for many companies, but our paper-based alternative works just as well and is much easier to recycle at the end of its life cycle.”
The Better Planet Packaging paper pallet wrap is produced at Smurfit Westrock’s Nervión paper mill in Spain.
