Since 2020, British paper and cardboard packaging manufacturer DS Smith has positioned itself in the market for alternatives to plastic, planning to replace one billion plastic packaging elements with sustainable packaging by 2025. This target has already been achieved, with over 1.2 billion items replaced thanks to innovations and customer partnerships.
Among the 27 countries in Europe and North America to which the cardboard manufacturer has extended its replacement program launched in 2020, three are among the top contributors: the United Kingdom, with over 274 million plastic elements replaced, followed by France and Germany, with 260 and 153 million elements respectively.
DS Smith reports strong growth in demand for sustainable fiber-based solutions in Eastern Europe, with a 91% increase in the annual quantity of plastic replaced between fiscal years 2020/2021 and 2023/2024.
Developing sustainable solutions since 2021
In 2021, DS Smith invests 116 million euros in research and development of fully renewable and recyclable packaging solutions to position itself in the plastic packaging replacement market. The same year, the cardboard manufacturer creates the Circular Score, an indicator of packaging recyclability for consumer goods, automotive parts and industrial goods.
Numerous alternatives to plastic, developed in partnership with major FMCG brands, are coming onto the market: Coca-Cola bottle packs are getting rid of their plastic shrink film in favor of cardboard handles and paper, cans are also being wrapped in cardboard, as are fruit and vegetable trays. The small plastic elements of packaging are hunted down: sealing tapes replaced by self-locking cardboard flaps, plastic labels eliminated by direct printing on the packaging.
"By innovating to help our customers replace or reduce plastics, we are responding to societal demands to reduce plastic pollution and developing our partnerships with customers." says Miles Roberts, Managing Director of the DS Smith Group.
