As part of its Environmentally Conscious Design (ECD) philosophy, gategroup company deSter has entered a strategic partnership with PulPac, a Swedish-based R&D and intellectual property company.
As a unit, they will focus on the development and manufacturing of fibre-based, single-use food packaging products and equipment for the airline industry, as well as food service accounts.
In support of this, deSter is currently deploying a multi-million-Euro investment in new machinery in order to use PulPac’s new production technology and base production close to its customers.
“Our customers are demanding sustainable packaging solutions. As a result, we are making substantial investments in new production methodologies in order to create truly sustainable products, which meet their needs,” explains Setf Van de Perre, deStar managing director.
“Developing this technology is a key focus area for deSter to ensure we provide our customers with future-proof solutions that not only deliver for today’s requirements, but also anticipate the needs of tomorrow.”
By working with PulPac’s patented technology, deSter will accelerate the development of naturally compostable fibre-based products, which will enable it to extend its portfolio of sustainable food packaging and service solutions.
PulPac’s dry model fibre technology can be used to manufacture almost any type of packaging and disposable item presently made of plastic.
“At PulPac, it’s our vision to make impact at scale by supplying the industry with disruptive technologies for replacing plastics in packaging and disposables,” says Linus Larsson, PulPac CEO.
“The new-found partnership greatly adds to achieving this objective, looking at the magnitude and global scale of its operations in addition to its in-house design, engineering and manufacturing capabilities.”
deSter’s solutions produced using PulPac technology will be made from renewable, locally-sourced FSC-certified materials, meaning it can be recycled through normal recycling streams and are biodegradable.
An important environmental advantage of PulPac’s patented technology is that no water is used during production.
Manufacturing facilities in Europe, Asia and the US will enable deSter to near-source all items.
“Local production facilities will ensure we are able to produce in proximity to all of our core markets. We will be able to minimise transportation, which in turn will also significantly reduce our own carbon footprint,” Van de Perre concludes.
