Smurfit Kappa, a FTSE 100 company and leading provider of innovative Bag-in-Box packaging solutions, has seen volumes of its Vitop® tap pass the five billion mark. The Vitop tap forms an integral part of the Smurfit Kappa Bag-in-Box range, a collection of sustainable packaging solutions for liquid and semi-liquid products.

The Bag-in-Box products have a low carbon footprint throughout the lifecycle of the packaging due to the efficient use of materials and resources. There has been a series of sustainable innovations made to the product range to date including a reduction in film thickness for the bags and the introduction of a more compact Vitop tap. A dedicated Bag-in-Box Circular Economy Team is also exploring further product innovations including the introduction of bio-based raw materials.

First designed in 1989 and produced at the Smurfit Kappa state-of-the-art facility in Alessandria, Italy, the Vitop tap has revolutionised Bag-in-Box packaging through a combination of its tamper-proof design and high oxygen barrier that significantly contributes to extend product freshness and shelf life. Combining science, design and convenience, its success is also partly due to the fact that it is extremely easy to use.

Smurfit Kappa has seen a significant rise in demand for its Bag-in-Box products in recent years. While initially used primarily for wines, the Bag-in-Box portfolio has been extended to include solutions for a wide range of food products including fruit juice, water, dairy produce, olive oil and also non-food products such as detergent and motor oil.

Didier Pontcharraud, CEO of Vitop commented: “The success of our Vitop® taps has evolved and grown over time since its invention in 1989. Since then we have continued to develop the design, driven the product innovation and we are continually exploring new materials and technologies.

“By using the experience and expertise of our nine Bag-in-Box plants across Europe and the Americas, we are making a product with outstanding performance; it’s this in turn that has resulted in an incredible five billion Vitop taps being produced, something as a team we are all extremely proud of.”

Smurfit Kappa occupies the leadership position for Bag-in-Box solutions in Europe.