Sustainable benefits through smart investments in Mowi’s Belgian Branch
Sustainable benefits through smart investments in Mowi’s Belgian Branch
As the world largest seafood company and the fifth for farmed salmon production, Mowi is driven to achieve the highest worldwide standards of sustainability in its sector. With this important approach in mind, it is not surprising that its branch in Belgium found a trusted partner in DS Smith to set up an innovative mechanization project.
With more than 250 production sites in 34 countries, DS Smith fits its customer purpose and is positioned as a pioneer in the production of sustainable packaging.
More efficient and sustainable
Philippe De Bie, Group Procurement Manager at Mowi, says: “We processed large quantities of plastic crates on our machines and we were wondering whether this process could be more efficient and sustainable. We also had a challenge with the existing corrugated cardboard trays. These did not stay upright, were not stackable and additional materials were needed to ensure pallet stability”.
These challenges were the beginning of an intensive collaboration with DS Smith; developing new packaging designs, adapting existing packaging lines, purchasing new machines and reviewing conversion plans. The required storage space for packaging materials was drastically reduced and significantly less trucks were needed for transport.
From raw material to packaging recycling
The process began with a ‘PackRight Review’ – mapping out the Mowi’s entire supply cycle. At the DS Smith’s Impact Centre in Ghent, the results of the review were combined with trends from the fishing industry, insights of consumer’s behavior and the changing demands from local and international retailers.
Subsequently, DS Smith provided a series of designs and prototypes to be converted into trial series and to test the concept in practice. The benefits turned out to be great. The packaging was not only cost-effective, but also quick to set up, fully recyclable and space-efficient.
Expansion of machine capacity
In order to align with Mowi’s growing strategy, two new attachments were needed to expand the production line capacity. DS Smith supervised the entire process, including delivery. After an exhaustive collaboration process of testing and optimization, two machines were installed to set up the cardboard trays.
The supplied corrugated cardboard trays, not only take far less space than the plastic ones, but the two machines were installed in the saved space available in the warehouse, avoiding any additional investments.
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