Packaging

M-REAL AT THE INNOVATIONPARC PACKAGING DURING “INTERPACK 2008”

Thursday 01. May 2008 - Product optimisation, and innovation, lightweighting, environment protection, and sustainability characterise the presence

During the “interpack 2008” fair, M-real Consumer Packaging will be presenting itself at the Innovationparc Packaging in exhibition hall 7a, which is hosted by Messe Düsseldorf in cooperation with Pro Carton, the European Association of Cartonboard and Carton Manufacturers. This special show within the interpack fair will cover the whole supply chain and provide live experiences of innovations and visions in five main areas of interest. M-real’s presence at the Innovationparc Packaging will mainly be based in the Sustainability Competence Centre. “This Competence Centre underlines the growing importance of environmental aspects at the different stages of the value creation chain – from raw materials to the readily packaged product – which is clearly in line with our corporate philosophy”, Manfred Aumann, Sales Director Germany for Consumer Packaging, states. There, the company can present its different types of cartonpaperboard and its services in a broader context.

For M-real, product optimisation will be an important topic at the interpack fair. The company has a great deal to offer in this field, especially in terms of sustainability. “We coined the term “lightweighting”, which means the reduction of cartonboard grammage, thus improving economic efficiency”, Aumann explains. This way, logistic costs and CO2 emissions can be reduced, while maintaining the same high level of quality in terms of packaging design, printing and finish, and with the same packing efficiency. Thickness and stiffness are the same, but the weight of the packaging is reduced significantly. In addition to the mentioned economic advantages, this also means less waste at the end of the supply chain. M-real has also developed bleached chemi-thermo-mechanical pulp (BCTMP), which is especially tailored for packaging boards.
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In general and traditionally, the increasing global concern about climate change influences the way M-real acts as a business. Special value is placed on an excellent energy balance. “Our plants mainly use locally produced steam and electricity. Moreover, 65 percent of the fuels we use are biofuels on wood basis”, Aumann emphasises. For example,Furthermore, the company only uses wood from sustainably cultivatedmanaged forested areas and fosters reliable certification systems. In 2006, 70 percent of the wood used at M-real was certified. One of the innovations relating to heightened environmental compatibility expectations was the development of bleached chemi-thermomechanical pulp (BCTP) for the middle layer of cartonboard, which is coated with bleached chemical pulp. This material combines excellent printability with high whiteness.

Generally speaking, the great variation of requirements from customers and consumers is making the market more complex. Customers expect an economically sound product, in particular as the significance of packaging for image building is growing significantly. The manufacturers’ creativity and innovative power are in high demand here. “Our customers in the consumer packaging section are carton manufacturers, or they produce, process, or finish branded products from a variety of industries”, Aumann explains. “For our branch, the cartonboard and paper industry, this means we have to gear ourselves even better for future developments”, he adds.




M-real’s portfolio: sustainability, convenience, imagination, and more
In addition to the company’s presence in the Sustainability Competence Centre, M-reals portfolio of products and services is also related to the other Competence Centres in the Innovationparc Packaging, namely in the areas “Convenience”, “Consumer Insights”, “Point of Sale” and “Imagination”.

This applies especially to the “Convenience” area, as the continuous optimisation of materials at M-real offers increasingly attractive applications – for example, consumers can use M-real’s high-end product packaging as gift packaging, without the need for extra gift wrap. Sales packaging is also said to initiate about 70 percent of purchase decisions. If, for example, there is a packaging with a special look or feel on the sales rack which attracts the consumer’s attention, the consumer is more likely to buy. But M-real products also enable particularly appealing “Point of Sale” solutions. Moreover, M-real offers material for special consumer requirements in the area of “Consumer Insights” – the packaging for chocolate, for instance, where the odour of the pack must not transfuse to the product. M-real meets this challenge by offering special odourless and tasteless types of packaging for confectionery: Carta Solida, Carta Integra and Simcote. The continuous development of cartonpaperboard typesgrades fills the “Imagination” keyword with life at M-real.