Smurfit Kappa and the Wings for Aid Foundation have joined forces to create an innovative packaging solution that facilitates the delivery of emergency supplies into hard to reach areas.
The pack can be dropped from a plane without any damage to the contents.
This was proven in prototype tests during which a pack of 30 eggs, a notoriously fragile product, remained intact following a drop from 100 metres.
Wings for Aid was attracted by Smurfit Kappa’s sustainability credentials and the company’s long term expertise in paper based packaging. The packs can be easily reused for other purposes such as shelter, but if left behind in the out-doors, they will break down easily due to their 100% biodegradability.
Barry Koperberg, general manager at the Wings for Aid Foundation, said: ‘Smurfit Kappa is so much more than a supplier to us. We really see the company as a collaboration partner. Without the research and development hours it put into this project, we could have never achieved the optimised box we now have.
‘We are currently able to drop boxes with a capacity of 20 kg from a height of 100 metres at a speed of 90 km per hour, undamaged and at a predetermined location.’
The next stage of the project will be to drop the packages from drones instead of planes.
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Smurfit Kappa - https://www.smurfitkappa.com/uk
Wings for Aid Foundation - https://www.wingsforaid.org/what.html
Van Berlo (Industrial Design Agency) - https://vanberloagency.com
T U Delft, University of Twente, Eindhoven - https://www.delta.tudelft.nl