- Fibre-based packaging solution with simple and ergonomic hatch design for a faster unpacking process.
- Provision of protection for fresh products – from the greenhouse to the retail and grocery store.
DS Smith, an International Paper company, and leading global provider of fibre-based and sustainable packaging solutions, and the Finnish fresh herb and salad producer, Famifarm Oy, have collaborated to create a recyclable fibre-based packaging solution to speed up and optimise processes on the packaging and unpacking lines.
The Famifarm products are transported from the company’s greenhouses to stores and grocery outlets across Finland, and the DS Smith packaging innovation for the brand’s transport boxes features a hatch mechanism to allow for the products to be opened speedily and with limited effort. The packaging is ergonomic and shown to be effective in speeding up the unpacking process for Famifarm customers by up to around four times, compared to previous packaging solutions. In addition, the transport boxes are easy to fold after use.
Jussi Loimusalo, CEO of Famifarm Oy:
“Our customers, such as the retail chains, have really liked the new functional transport box, which saves a lot of time for their employees. We value our packaging partner’s transparency, commitment to sustainability, and reliability, and DS Smith has demonstrated an in-depth understanding of our operations which actively contributed to our joint product development. We are not looking for quick wins, but a long-term cooperation”.
The transport boxes display a prominent brand messaging that is printed on the exterior surface of the fibre-based packaging, and the Famifarm Oy CEO, Loimusalo, also believes that attention to the aesthetic detail of the product is as essential as the brand’s design ethos, “Our newly innovated corrugated cardboard boxes are of prime quality and look great. The brand must be prominently displayed.”
The idea for the new packaging was contributed to and developed by Jyrki Petrelius, Cluster Design Creative Specialist at DS Smith, alongside Veli-Matti Karvonen, Automation Expert and Development Manager at DS Smith in Finland.
“This packaging solution was designed for an automated packaging line and is intended to enhance the business of our customers’ customers, i.e retail stores and outlets. At the same time, the solution is versatile and suitable for large and small retail and grocery environments. The packaging protects fresh products as before, but now speeds up unpacking. The new unpacking method makes the process easier “, said Jyrki Petrelius.
Famifarm Oy is Finland’s largest producer of potted herbs and salads, and the company is known for its Järvikylä brand and logo with an illustration of the family manor house and an inscription of the year 1674. The company’s first popular product was potted leaf lettuce, followed by the introduction of chives and chilli in pots, and a product line called ‘Home Cook’s Favourite Herbs’, including basil, thyme, and oregano.
The current Famifarm Oy product range incorporates around thirty salad and herb options; fourteen of which are higher volume products, and the brand is responding to current consumer trends where pre-cut and bagged salad options are popular preferences.
DS Smith is committed to leading an industry-wide transition to a circular economy while delivering sustainable circular solutions for its customers across thirty-four countries worldwide. The business has a target led Now and Next sustainability strategy in support of its purpose of Redefining Packaging for a Changing World.
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