Burgopak, Thames Technology and Holmen Iggesund collaborate to create sustainable packaging solutions for Earthday 2021

The partnership has resulted in a product that is not only innovative but environmentally sensitive, and we hope it will offer inspiration to businesses looking to improve their sustainable credential”— Alethea Price

Lonson, UK – Using trees to produce our products has given us an acute appreciation of their value. The forests are our planet’s lungs and are vital for the survival of all life on earth. Earth Day is an annual reminder of this fact and a powerful landmark for observations of change and progress.

To mark this year’s event, we teamed up with partners Thames Technology – experts in gift card manufacture – and drivers in change Holmen Iggesund papermill to celebrate our mutual endeavours to increase sustainability within the loyalty and gift card industry. Together we have not only created a superb product offering, but we are also giving you the opportunity to become part of the story by planting a tree in your name.

Utilising one of Burgopak’s optimised packaging solutions, a reduction in material, water and energy consumption was designed into the product from its conception. By integrating the mailer, reducing the paper stock and optimising manufacturing processes, the design is not only mail-friendly but 30% lighter.

Built on Holmen Iggesund’s FSC certified Invercote paperboard, which is harvested from 1.3 million hectares of the company’s own sustainably managed forests, the primary material represents perhaps the most sustainable option for paperboard packaging.

Not only are more trees planted to replace those that are harvested (three for every one) totalling over 30 million per year, but the forests also act as a carbon sink, absorbing up to 10% of Sweden’s entire CO2 output. The Iggesund mill runs on bio energy created from waste left over from the harvesting and processing of the wood, and the mill holds a platinum medal from EcoVadis, putting it in the top 1% of the 65,000+ companies audited.

Thames Technology’s plastic-free paperboard card is made using just 0.66g of carbon compared with 21g for a PVC card, and is biodegradable, compostable to the EN 13432 standard and 100% recyclable. With the potential to integrate a magstripe and/or NFC chip it makes a great solution for gift, loyalty and membership applications.

In summary, the partnership has resulted in a product that is not only innovative but environmentally sensitive, and we hope it will offer inspiration to businesses looking to improve their sustainable credentials.

We invite you to request a complimentary Earth Day pack from all of us at Burgopak, Holmen Iggesund and Thames Technology. In your pack you will also receive details on how you can become a part of this story by planting a tree in your name within one of Holmen Iggesund’s forests.

Contact [email protected] for your free Earth Day celebratory pack.

After registration you will be sent a certificate of care with the coordinates of your designated planting site so you can even visit your tree and watch it grow. We do hope you’ll join us in bringing awareness this Earth Day and taking this small step to helping our planet breathe.