Innovation and Sustainable Development in the Fibre Based Packaging Value Chain
Objective
Topic(s)
NMP-2002-3.4.2.3-1 - New materials by design
NMP-2002-3.4.2.3-2 - New knowledge-based higher performance materials for macro-scale applications
Funding Scheme
IP - Integrated Project
Coordinator
INNVENTIA AB
Address
Drottning Kristinas VÄG 61
Stockholm
Sweden
Administrative Contact
Kennert JOHANSSON (Mr)
Participants (38)
Sort alphabetically
Expand all
ACREO AB
Sweden
AGROTECHNOLOGY & FOOD INNOVATIONS B.V.
Netherlands
AHLSTROM RESEARCH AND SERVICES S.A.S.
France
ALMA MATER STUDIORUM-UNIVERSITA DI BOLOGNA
Italy
CARTONAJES LEVANTE S.A.
Spain
CENTRE TECHNIQUE DE L'INDUSTRIE DES PAPIERS, CARTONS ET CELLULOSES
France
CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS
Spain
DANISH TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE
Denmark
DANMARKS TEKNISKE UNIVERSITET (TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF DENMARK)
Denmark
FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FÖRDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG E.V.
Germany
HELSINKI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
Finland
INSTITUT NATIONAL POLYTECHNIQUE DE GRENOBLE
France
INSTITUTO TECNOLÓGICO DEL ENVASE, EMBALAJE Y TRANSPORTE
Spain
KAPPA PACKAGING NEDERLAND B.V.
Netherlands
KARLSTAD UNIVERSITY
Sweden
KUNGLIGA TEKNISKA HÖGSKOLAN
Sweden
NOVAMONT SPA
Italy
OY KESKUSLABORATORIO - CENTRALLABORATORIUM AB
Finland
PAPIERTECHNISCHE STIFTUNG
Germany
PIRA INTERNATIONAL LTD
United Kingdom
RISOE NATIONAL LABORATORY
Denmark
SAINSBURYS SUPERMARKETS LTD
United Kingdom
SHEFFIELD HALLAM UNIVERSITY
United Kingdom
SLOVAK UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY IN BRATISLAVA
Slovakia
SMURFIT KAPPA KRAFTLINER AB
Sweden
SMURFIT KAPPA NEDERLAND B.V.
Netherlands
SMURFIT WORLDWIDE RESEARCH - EUROPE
France
STAZIONE SPERIMENTALE CARTA, CARTONI E PASTE PER CARTA
Italy
STORA ENSO SKOGHALL AB
Sweden
TECHNICAL RESEARCH CENTRE OF FINLAND
Finland
UNIVERSIDADE DE AVEIRO
Portugal
UNIVERSITAT DE GIRONA
Spain
UNIVERSITE BORDEAUX I
France
UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE IN SZCZECIN (AKADEMIA ROLNICZA W SZCZECINIE)
Poland
UNIVERSITY OF OULU
Finland
WALKIWISA OY
Finland
XAAR JET AB
Sweden
YKI, YTKEMISKA INSTITUTET AB
Sweden
Project information
SUSTAINPACK
Grant agreement ID: 500311
-
Start date
1 June 2004
-
End date
30 September 2008
Funded under:
FP6-NMP
-
Overall budget:
€ 29 707 285
-
EU contribution
€ 16 355 854
Green packaging gets smart
CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENT
Non-biodegradable packaging such as plastic has been littering our landfills and planet for decades, choking ecosystems and degrading the environment. In an urgent move to develop eco-friendly packaging, the EU-funded project 'Innovation and sustainable development in the fibre based packaging value chain' (Sustainpack) exploited the latest nanotechnology in order to achieve this objective. The project, considered the most important one in this field to date, looked at how to increase competitiveness of fibre-based packaging in order to reduce supply chain costs. It gathered 35 prominent partners from 13 countries, including academics, industry players and packaging research organisations to support the development of high-tech solutions and improve the material's functionality. One major achievement involved printing information directly onto packaging to make tagging and labelling more cost effective, coupling this with applications that involve radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. In more detail, the project team developed technology to integrate barcodes, humidity monitors and temperature monitors into the packaging, paving the way for use of nanofibres in a wider range of shapes for packaging. Intensive interviews with key managers from over 100 technology providers and packaging experts helped map upcoming demand, identifying packaging priorities such as tracking, anti-theft, brand enhancement, food quality and anti-counterfeiting. Food production stakeholders and retailers appreciated packaging features such as temperature, time and freshness indicators, as well as RFID tagging and electronic article surveillance (EAS) capabilities. Sustainpack has laid the groundwork for commercialising the technology in many sectors and has helped encourage research in the field. Once development and exploitation are underway, consumers may finally see eco-friendly packaging and our landfills might be able to breathe again.
Project information
SUSTAINPACK
Grant agreement ID: 500311
-
Start date
1 June 2004
-
End date
30 September 2008
Funded under:
FP6-NMP
-
Overall budget:
€ 29 707 285
-
EU contribution
€ 16 355 854
Discover other articles in the same domain of application
Final Report Summary - SUSTAINPACK (Innovation and Sustainable Development in the Fibre Based Packaging Value Chain)
SUSTAINPACK is the largest and most important research ever undertaken into sustainable packaging. It has been a four year research programme with a budget of EUR 30 million, EUR 17 million having been funded by the EU Sixth Framework Research Programme (FP6). This has been supported by a project consortium comprising of 35 partners from 13 countries. The project team is represented by packaging research associations, academia and industry partners.
There are important development areas where the SUSTAINPACK project has made significant advances without producing a final packaging solution. For instance, its work on printing active elements directly onto packaging has laid the groundwork for a process that could ultimately make tagging of individual items more affordable, particularly if the research is linked to the development of Radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies.
The teams working on communicative packaging have made great strides in the use of visual signals through moving images. They have been successful in making bar codes, humidity and temperature monitors as part of the fibre-based packaging design. The project partners have realised that paper packaging is more restrictive than plastics in respect of design and hence the focus on the three-dimensional elements of packaging. Though there is not yet a product prototype, the team has gone a long way towards developing the materials research necessary to progress the use of nano-fibres in a wider range of shapes for packaging.
Market research was conducted in 2004 to determine demand projections until 2008. This was based on interviews with senior managers from more than 100 technology providers, brand owners and packaging converters. Results revealed that pack converters viewed track and trace, anti-theft, food quality and anti-counterfeiting as important/very important. Brand owners were less bullish than converters, rating track and trace as important / very important and tamper evidence, anti-counterfeiting, anti-theft and food quality / safety as fairly important. Winning technologies for converters included freshness indictors, doneness indicators, time temperature indicators, printed electronics and smart links.
Winning technologies for retailers were freshness indicators, chip RFID, Electronic article surveillance (EAS), time temperature indicators and printed electronics. Rapid growth in freshness indicators was expected due to changing consumer lifestyles, growth in modified atmosphere/controlled atmosphere technologies and consumer preference for foods with indicators. The most rapid expansion of intelligent packaging was forecast in pharmaceuticals and food. Although the main smart application is currently anti-theft, by 2008, it will be brand enhancement. RFID is expected to overtake EAS in sales, although it is still presently hampered by costs, improved functionality of barcodes, technical drawbacks and the lack of standards.
The SUSTAINPACK project has started the process of developing a new generation of packaging solutions using renewable and fully recyclable materials that also respond to the growing packaging communications market. The future for fibre-based packaging will require the re-engineering of the packaging value chain to deliver increased, capital efficiency, product innovation and more competitive packaging materials. The materials will require improved barrier properties to prolong shelf life and carry consumer information and brand protection using new communication technologies and active ingredients. In the future, the ability to completely recycle a package will become a prerequisite of the design itself. Improved collection systems will exploit the potential to characterise and increase the quantity and quality of fibre recovery in the recycling process.
Project information
SUSTAINPACK
Grant agreement ID: 500311
-
Start date
1 June 2004
-
End date
30 September 2008
Funded under:
FP6-NMP
-
Overall budget:
€ 29 707 285
-
EU contribution
€ 16 355 854
Deliverables
Deliverables not available
Publications
Publications not available
Project information
SUSTAINPACK
Grant agreement ID: 500311
-
Start date
1 June 2004
-
End date
30 September 2008
Funded under:
FP6-NMP
-
Overall budget:
€ 29 707 285
-
EU contribution
€ 16 355 854
Project information
SUSTAINPACK
Grant agreement ID: 500311
-
Start date
1 June 2004
-
End date
30 September 2008
Funded under:
FP6-NMP
-
Overall budget:
€ 29 707 285
-
EU contribution
€ 16 355 854
