Statement re TOPPsafeâ„¢

Statement re TOPPsafeâ„¢

Smurfit Kappa Group PLC

Smurfit Kappa’s TOPPsafe™ adds a new sustainability dimension to the supply chain

Smurfit Kappa has invented a sustainable new alternative for the heavy wooden, chipboard and plastic boards that are used to protect palletised products during transport and storage.

A team of Smurfit Kappa designers in its Hexacomb operations collaborated to identify a food-safe and innovative solution that would be suitable for a range of sectors including those which have stringent hygiene regulations.

Made from 100% paper-based material, the innovative TOPPSafeâ„¢ is crafted from Hexacomb material which is lightweight and strong due to its honeycomb structure.

A number of Smurfit Kappa’s customers were struggling with the weight and inflexibility of the more traditional wooden, chipboard and plastic pallet tops that are currently used in supply chains and often dropped causing risk of injury. As TOPPSafe™ is significantly lighter, it is easier to handle making it more suitable for manual handling.

The TOPPSafeâ„¢ pallet top offers a number of benefits, including the fact that it is supplied flat to reduce storage space and the material is fully recyclable.

Wim Peeters, MD of Smurfit Kappa Hexacomb, said: "We are very excited about launching TOPPSafeâ„¢ because it has the potential to have a transformative effect on the supply chain. The feedback from the customers who have been using it already has been unanimously positive.

“At Smurfit Kappa, we aim to come up with solutions that score highly when it comes to safety, sustainability and innovation.”

Smurfit Kappa’s SupplySmart service has gathered insights from over 60,000 supply chains which it uses to identify opportunities to make sustainable changes.

ENDS

Contact for media:

Sinead Gill
Smurfit Kappa
T: [phone]
E:[e-mail]

About Smurfit Kappa

Smurfit Kappa, a FTSE 100 company, is one of the leading providers of paper-based packaging solutions in the world, with around 45,000 employees in approximately 350 production sites across 33 countries and with revenue of €8.6 billion in 2017. We are located in 21 countries in Europe, and 12 in the Americas. We are the only large-scale pan-regional player in Latin America.

With our pro-active team, we relentlessly use our extensive experience and expertise, supported by our scale, to open up opportunities for our customers. We collaborate with forward-thinking customers by sharing superior product knowledge, market understanding and insights in packaging trends to ensure business success in their markets. We have an unrivalled portfolio of paper-packaging solutions, which is constantly updated with our market-leading innovations. This is enhanced through the benefits of our integration, with optimal paper design, logistics, timeliness of service, and our packaging plants sourcing most of their raw materials from our own paper mills.

Our products, which are 100% renewable and produced sustainably, improve the environmental footprint of our customers.

Follow us on Twitter at @smurfitkappa and on LinkedIn at ‘Smurfit Kappa’.

www.smurfitkappa.com

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