New at Smart Packaging Solutions: top-seal packaging for fruit and vegetables

Do you want to pack fruit and vegetables in top-seal packaging? We’ve got just what you need: Smart Packaging Solutions presents Stackpack, a sturdy top-seal packaging made of solid board, specifically designed for fruit and vegetables. Ronald Zwaga of Stackpack, the developer of the packaging, and Smart Packaging Solutions, have signed a licence agreement for Stackpack in the Benelux.

Ronald Zwaga, who designed the new packaging, is Managing Partner of Stackpack. “Stackpack is a cardboard top-seal packaging solution: a tray sealed with a thin top layer – the top-seal – to extend the product’s shelf life. You can seal the tray with a variety of materials: film, paper or cellulose net. Stackpack is a sustainable alternative to plastic packaging. It’s ideal for packaging all sorts of fruit and vegetables, including strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, tomatoes, snack cucumbers, mushrooms and sweet peppers. Stackpack’s a fantastic alternative to plastic trays.” 

A solid board Stackpack has lots of advantages, says Ronald Zwaga. “Solid board is robust, moisture-resistant and retains its form. Because of their rigidity, the trays allow for multi-layer stacking while in transit or in-store, and won’t lose their shape. Stackpack’s robust, flat lip – the seal ridge – holds the top-seal firmly in place, so the trays can be stacked or moved repeatedly without damaging their contents. Another advantage is that solid board is highly malleable; once it’s been moulded into shape, it retains its new form. As a result, it can be securely top-sealed for optimal product protection. And since solid board is relatively inexpensive, you get a sturdy top-seal tray for a reasonable price. Another plus is that Stackpack runs on existing packing and top-sealing lines, so you won’t have to change your packaging process.”

After use, the film can easily be separated from the tray, so the cardboard can be recycled. The Stackpack’s main raw material is 100% cardboard, and 0% plastic. Even including the lidding film, the entire packaging contains less than 5% plastic, which is why Stackpack complies with the new EU Packaging Regulation for sustainable packaging (PPWR).

Stackpack and Smart Packaging Solutions teamed up to produce the top-seal pack. Smart Packaging Solutions and Stackpack have signed a licence agreement for the Benelux. Ronald Zwaga: “Our companies came into contact through Nuniek BV. Stackpack and Smart Packaging Solutions are a match made in heaven. Smart Packaging Solutions is big in the potato, fruit and vegetable market, which is a huge advantage. They produce and process cardboard themselves, and also top-seal the trays. The entire product is made under one roof.”

Johan De Neef, Managing Director of Smart Packaging Solutions, is keen to emphasise the power of the collaboration: “Stackpack is a great addition to our range of deliverables. We offer clients an all-in packaging concept from large packaging to small packs like punnets and now, of course, top-seal packaging. The partnership between Stackpack and Smart Packaging Solutions blends know-how and production. Stackpack brings the expertise and experience to optimise the packaging design and development process down to the tiniest detail and we turn waste paper into new, sustainable packaging. This is how we deliver a fully integrated solution, from raw material to finished product. It’s precisely this pairing of expertise and production that gives the partnership its flair.”