DS Smith wins ScanStar award for innovative potato packaging

DS Smith, the leading provider of sustainable packaging, is pleased to announce it has been awarded the prestigious ScanStar Prize in the Nordic packaging competition.

DS Smith, the leading provider of sustainable packaging, is pleased to announce it has been awarded the prestigious ScanStar Prize in the Nordic packaging competition for its fridge-box product for potatoes, which was designed in co-operation with its customer, Tuorekartano Oy.

In Finland, potatoes are typically sold in bulk and then packed in a plastic bag, or pre-packed for plastic bags and then sold at stores. To help address this issue and tackle the ongoing problem of single-use plastics, this new award-winning packaging solution has been redefined with sustainability, attractiveness, ease of use and shelf life in mind.

Corrugated cardboard is a familiar material for Finnish consumers. The recycling rate in Finland is more than 90%, which enables it to be reused and recycled up to seven times. The fridge-box packaging wraps the potato in corrugated, fully-recyclable materials, which is visually appealing, has the air vents it needs, and protects the potatoes from light.

The package is sized so that it fits on the shelf of the refrigerator and allows the consumer to open the lid easily, providing the right amount of potatoes every time and reducing waste. Once finished with the product, the packaging can be flattened and recycled into a new raw material.

Business Development Director, Kari Vuori, at DS Smith commented: “We’re delighted to have received the prestigious ScanStar award for our fridge-box packaging innovation. At DS Smith, we’ve been actively working to reduce plastic packaging by innovating in sectors where sustainable fibre-based packaging can make a big difference for retailers and consumers. We believe that simple swaps, from plastic to paper and cardboard alternatives, could significantly reduce single-use plastic.”

Whilst the packaging is made with the consumer in mind, it can also be used for transportation and can be stacked directly onto efficient logistic pallets, where it’s delivered to stores without the need to unpack and repack. To avoid the need to pack the box separately for home delivery, it also comes with an easy to use carry on handle.

The international jury of the competition commented on the winning package: 

We were impressed with this new and innovative way to distribute and display potatoes. Not only does fridge-box protect the product, it’s also an alternative for paper or plastic bags which often end up being discarded once used. The package is easy to store for the consumer, and it gives the retailer a new way to display this very common food in an eye-catching way.

A team of packaging strategists has been involved in the development process of the  packaging in co-operation with the customer. Experienced designers, who are working in PackRight Centre in Tampere, Jyrki Valkama and Maarit Mäkinen, are behind the winning design. The packaging is manufactured at DS Smith's box plant in Tampere, Finland.