Thursday, August 22, 2024
Stora Enso is proud to associate with Enkei, to provide recyclable packaging materials for protecting their sustainable design pieces, made from discarded materials. Innovation with purpose – just the right kind of initiative Stora Enso likes to support.
The Swedish startup Enkei sought a smart and sustainable packaging solution to protect their handcrafted designer table lamp, Reminder (001), without sacrificing sustainability, safety, or aesthetics. By utilising a combination of Stora Enso‘s corrugated board and the cushioning material Papira® by Stora Enso, the Reminder (001) can now be securely delivered to customers worldwide, ensuring both protection and environmental responsibility.
Sustainable and superior protection
“We have extremely high requirements when it comes to sustainability. At the same time, we strive to make the sustainable alternative attractive, and that is why high-quality design is so important to us. We wanted to find a packaging solution that safely protected the lamp, was aesthetically pleasing, and left a low climate footprint,” says Lovisa Sunnerholm, CEO at Enkei.
Papira® is a bio-based and biodegradable* foam made of wood fibers that are sourced from sustainably managed forests. It is fully recyclable** within standard paper and board recycling and has high shock-absorbing qualities, ensuring superior protection for delicate items like the Reminder lamp.
“The 5 kg Reminder lamp, made of, for example, fashion waste and a bottom of sustainable concrete, was an exciting packaging design challenge. This is a perfect example of how Papira can provide sustainable cushioning for fragile and heavy items without adding excessive weight and volume to the packaging, all while eliminating plastic,” says Paula Martirez, Business Development Manager at Stora Enso.
Reminder 001 is Enkei’s debut product, embodying their commitment to circular production. Their mission is to tackle waste and pollution challenges in the construction industry through what they call “Circular aesthetics, everyday reminders.” Throughout the development process, the packaging design evolved to use planks more efficiently while also reducing costs and material usage. Thanks to Papira’s durable outer layer, Enkei was able to partially cut and use it as a hinge, allowing the package to be folded into place without the need for glue.
“Every decision behind the lamp is carefully taken and every component of the lamp is there for a reason – always with the ambition to prevent valuable resources from being thrown away whilst creating an end result that is desirable”, says Miriam Bichsel, Creative Director at Enkei.
“It is always a pleasure to collaborate with customers who have high standards for both design and sustainability in packaging. Designing the packaging for this product was a challenging task that required a comprehensive solution, taking various functionalities and materials into account. The product primarily consists of two distinct parts: the lamp base, which is heavy and fragile, and the lamp shade, which is light and easily damaged.”
“This imbalance in weight distribution necessitated a packaging solution that not only protects the product from external hazards but also prevents the components from damaging each other. We rose to the challenge by utilizing our innovative Papira® foam for protection and corrugated board to ensure a pleasant unboxing experience and secure the product in place”, says Liga Viksne, Senior Packaging designer at Stora Enso.
Stora Enso envisions a future where everything currently made from fossil-based materials can be crafted from trees. Collaborating with sustainable innovators like Enkei aligns perfectly with their mission, especially as they work to scale Papira® from pilot to industrial production. Learning from other pioneers is invaluable, and these kinds of partnerships are essential for their iterative development process.
“Collaboration is such an important part of our innovation process. We can only replace fossil-based materials and establish Papira on the market if we offer solutions that our customers need and want. With collaborations like this, we can prove that our product fulfills customer requirements. And then of course, one gets a lot of energy and inspiration from collaborating with other parties”, says Julia Broszat, Solutions Development Specialist at Stora Enso.
About Papira® by Stora Enso
The wood-based foam in Papira® is manufactured in an environmentally friendly production process. Their team is working on scaling from pilot to industrial production and will be available on the market in a few years. In the meantime, they work with selected projects and companies in order to test, build knowledge, and prepare for implementation.
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