Material Switch with Green Advantages

When the French company Un Air d’Ici replaced metal with plastic for their Ice Fruit packaging, the result was several green advantages, a more efficient packaging process and a stronger product.

09/09/08 For a first class product like Ice Fruit, an eye-catching and high quality packaging solution is essential. Therefore, French manufacturer Un Air d’Ici was on the lookout for a professional supplier when the Ice Fruit metal packaging needed an upgrade. The result was a RingLock solution from Superfos with both financial and green advantages.

“As we aimed to get a perfect, high quality solution, Superfos was a natural choice as our packaging supplier. Furthermore, the switch from metal to plastic containers has led to weight reductions on more than 30% and a more efficient use of our storage capacity – factors that saves both money and CO2 emissions in the product life cycle,” says CEO Franck Bonfils from Un Air d’Ici.

In general, plastic holds several green advantages compared to metal. Indications show that metal has an about 250% higher level of CO2 emissions than plastic at the raw material stage. Moreover, the lower weight and easier stacking of plastic containers entails massive CO2 reductions through transport.

Improved process efficiency
Besides being a more sustainable packaging solution, the new Ice Fruits containers have resulted in a smarter packaging process.

“As we can use the same packaging solution for six products, our packaging process has been simplified and more efficient. Additionally, we have improved our filling line, thereby making it possible to use the same packaging line for all our products,” Franck Bonfils explains. He adds:

“When it comes to our customers, the new packaging concept has been well received. As our main market is the supermarkets, it means a lot that the new Ice Fruit containers are stronger than the old metal boxes. Before, an accidental drop to the floor would entail a rejection of the entire product, but now the container can stand a lot more. And our customers are very pleased!”