SUSTAINABLE AND EFFECTIVE PROTECTION

Storopack’s new RENATURE® 3D protective packaging made from plant starch is reusable and home compostable

Metzingen, September 2024. Storopack demonstrates how sustainability and perfect product protection go hand in hand with an innovative solution: RENATURE^® 3D is a new protective packaging mainly made from plant starch. It is completely biodegradable in the home compost. RENATURE^® 3D is produced in panel form, from which customized, geometric transport packaging can be designed. Manufacturers and retailers thus provide perfect protection for products in the shipping carton as RENATURE^® 3D boasts the same protective properties as EPS. End consumers can modify the RENATURE^® 3D packaging parts to new packaging and so reuse them to send out their own goods. The home compostability is certified by “OK COMPOST HOME” issued by TÜV Austria. 

In a joint pilot project between Storopack and Kärcher, EPS packaging has been replaced for the first time by the new sustainable solution RENATURE® 3D. The product to be packaged was Kärcher's SC3 steam cleaner. With this move, both companies were furthering their sustainability strategies. Due to a very low carbon footprint and a resulting lower environmental impact, RENATURE 3D is the answer to sustainable product development.

Sustainable and renewable

The extraction of the starch can happen in different ways. The raw material for RENATURE 3D is at this time obtained from the yellow pea. The yellow pea is often used as a rotation crop in agriculture. It improves the soil structure, increases the organic matter content, aerates the soil and promotes the growth of microorganisms. The starch of the yellow pea is used to produce protein powder. The plant material left over after protein production is the part that is used for the RENATURE 3D panels. As the by-product would otherwise be disposed of, its use for the production of sustainable packaging material offers a promising solution for reducing the environmental impact – without competing with the food industry.

Tailored to the Shipping Goods

RENATURE^® 3D is ideal for mass production: unlike the manufacturing of EPS molded parts, no specially made tools are required. Storopack customers can therefore fall back on an attractive, sustainable, and flexible alternative to EPS molded parts or protective packaging made from cardboard. The panels are combined to form 3D shapes and thus tailored to the customer’s shipping goods. This ensures optimum protection of the goods in the carton: the molded parts hold the shipping goods in place and prevent them from moving. Thanks to its special, resistant cell structure, the material absorbs shocks and provides optimum protection against damage during transport. RENATURE^® 3D is suitable as protective packaging for shipping goods weighing up to 8 kilograms – for example, for electrical and household appliances, e-commerce products, food, and medication. Protective packaging specialist Storopack advises and supports manufacturers and mail order companies in relation to all aspects of their custom-made RENATURE^® 3D protective packaging. 

Storopack attaches great importance to conserving resources and is continuously working to become even more sustainable. To this end, the company is pursuing the goal of producing at least 50 percent of its own-produced protective packaging from recycled or renewable raw materials by 2025. The specialist for perfect protective packaging already achieved 43% in 2023.