Smurfit Kappa has called on the world’s innovation community to contribute to the development of the sustainable packaging solutions of the future.

The packaging leader has launched a new competition as part of its drive to solve one of the biggest challenges in the packaging industry – to reduce the amount of non-recyclable waste that is generated every day.

According to figures, packaging accounts for almost 40% of the demand for plastic in Europe. Smurfit Kappa is challenging designers, engineers, inventors and creative thinkers, both inside and outside the company, to come up with packaging innovations that will replace the amount of un-recyclable waste generated every year. The two challenges outlined in the competition are:

1) To develop an alternative for the plastic stretch wrap which is used around pallets to provide stability during transport and storage
2) To develop a fully paper-based parcel with thermal protection for chocolates, to use in the eCommerce sales channel

The competition is open until Friday 29th March 2019 and applicants, who can be any innovator in the world, can submit an idea to address one or both of the design challenges. The winner of each design challenge will receive a prize of 8,000 euro and their ideas will be showcased at the Smurfit Kappa Innovation Event in May 2019.

Arco Berkenbosch, VP of Innovation and Development, commented: “Packaging design has an essential role to play in reducing the amount of waste generated in day-to-day life, and in delivering a more sustainable future.

“Our Better Planet Packaging Design Challenge aims to inspire the world's design community to work on concrete problems in sustainable packaging design. We are looking forward to seeing the applications, and discovering the first winning innovations of the Better Planet Packaging Design Challenge.”

2019 will be the inaugural year of the Better Planet Packaging Design Challenge. The competition is a key part of Smurfit Kappa’s Better Planet Packaging initiative. Launched in September 2018, it is at the heart of Smurfit Kappa’s core business strategy and aims to deliver breakthroughs that will re-imagine packaging for a more sustainable future.

Interested applicants can visit Better Planet Packaging Design Challenge for more information on about how to apply.