Innovator unveils sustainable alternative to plastic packaging
A WORLD-LEADING packaging innovator has launched a new, renewable and recyclable moulded packaging product which is a “sustainable alternative to plastic”.
James Cropper Plc already has a globally recognised reputation for producing premium paper and packaging products and specialising in precise colour matching.
The group’s new business - James Cropper 3D Products - has developed a bespoke, design-engineered, moulded paper packaging product which challenges plastic in terms of colour, quality and performance and will add value for brand owners, designers and other customers - going above and beyond the capabilities of any other moulded fibre packaging.
It is made from entirely renewable materials and consumers can recycle it with household paper.
James Cropper 3D Products (JC3DP), based in Burneside, Cumbria, will showcase the product at Packaging Innovations 2016, at Olympia London, on September 14 and September 15.
Demonstrators showing some of the capabilities of the JC3DP product will be on display at the company’s stand at the event.
Chief Technology Officer Patrick Willink said JC3DP can deliver bespoke quality on a large scale, and significantly add value to product packaging.
He said it was the first moulded fibre product to offer an improved, sustainable alternative to plastic in many packaging applications. This includes packaging for personal care products, e-retail, giftware, consumer electronics, homeware and a raft of other sectors.
Mr Willink said: “We know that if brands are to move beyond the need for plastic in packaging, sustainable alternatives have to add value and can’t compromise on colour, quality or performance. We have to open up new opportunities for design innovation so that the many challenges of replacing plastic can be overcome. Our moulded paper packaging is the first step in this next generation.
“Paper has a timeless sense of quality that’s worlds away from the multisensory disappointments of plastic. Of course, moulded fibre products are in limited use already. But these products have nowhere near the versatility in colour and design that we are able to produce. The switch from using plastic to our moulded paper packaging can also be made with relative ease, which means it is really challenging plastic as the go-to product for packaging.
“JC3DP products have the ability to outperform plastic in terms of colour quality and consistency - which is vital when building brand association and brand experience - while our design-engineered approach enables new progress in packaging design performance.
“Features such as embossing have greater definition and the cure-in-the-mould production process allows us to combine precise pressure and temperature controls with different fibre blends to create textures and finishes that cannot be achieved with plastic.
“At the same time we can create moulded packaging with uniform wall thickness and create holes with ease - both of which are extremely difficult to achieve in plastic and which add significant benefits and value for customers.”
JC3DP is already working with a number of blue chip companies. Its service is designed to make the bespoke product available at relatively low minimum order quantities (MOQ) which will create greater opportunities for customers to adapt and change to meet their specific needs.
The product is made using 100% Renewable Natural Fibres from sustainably managed forests.
Mr Willink said: “The production and disposal of plastic is one of the key environmental problems facing the packaging industry today. Not only does JC3DP packaging come from truly sustainable sources, but can also be recycled just like regular paper. We are really proud to have developed an innovation that will help the environment, but is also a great sustainability story that will capture the imagination of consumers.
“Sustainable innovation is one of the major focuses of everything we do at James Cropper and we like to set our sights high. We have a proven record of success when it comes to daunting technical challenges and innovative use of materials. This is why we believe JC3DP is a sustainable alternative to plastic in packaging.”
JC3DP is one of three divisions of James Cropper Plc, which has been operating from its base near the Lake District for more than 170 years. The new range of products have been in development for two years.
James Cropper Paper is unrivalled in producing bespoke paper in literally any colour for brands across the world.
James Cropper Technical Fibre Products applies its expertise to highly specified woven products for use in aerospace, motoring and even NASA’s New Horizons probe, which is currently exploring the outer reaches of our solar system.
CEO Phil Wild said: “Our focus is on sustainable innovation and establishing products and technologies today that are mainstay of the next generation. We were the first company in the world to open a viable coffee cup recycling plant and our Technical Fibre Products arm is producing lightweight technologies that massively decrease fuel consumption in air travel.
“This is why we are confident that through our work with JC3DP we will be able to establish a product that will truly revolutionise the way people think about packaging for the good of our customers, consumers and the planet.”
