Support for designing molded fiber packaging

Ecopulp designs, develops, and manufactures environmentally friendly and 100% recyclable 3D molded fiber products for various packaging needs of its customers. The fiber-based packages, favored by consumers, are made from renewable wood fiber and are fully biodegradable, making them an excellent choice for the environment. Molded fiber products also offer excellent protection for the packaged product and are cost-effective to produce.

The popularity of sustainable packaging solutions has been growing rapidly in recent years. This growth is particularly driven by the new EU packaging regulations, which will require better recyclability of product packaging in the future. Environmental values will be closely monitored in the packaging industry in the future, leading to increased demand for all kinds of environmentally friendly, biodegradable, and easily recyclable materials.

The surge in demand for molded fiber packaging has been strongly felt at Ecopulp. Ecopulp wanted to ensure fast and flexible service for its customers even during busy times. Help was found in Huld’s packaging design team, which already had extensive experience in designing various molded fiber packages.

With flexible additional resources, Ecopulp can better meet the increased demand without compromising quality, service, or schedules.

”Huld provides us with experienced additional resources to level out demand peaks”, Ari Henttonen, CEO, Ecopulp Finland Oy

In addition to extra pairs of hands, Huld’s experienced packaging design team also offers new insights into design and packaging shapes when needed. The multidisciplinary experience gained from dozens of molded fiber projects for both domestic and international markets adds value to Ecopulp’s work. Additionally, the design assistance provided by Huld is always flexible and need-based, so Ecopulp has not had to commit to its own personnel investments.

Molded fiber packaging in a nutshell

Molded fiber cushions are manufactured from recycled paper and/or corrugated cardboard with a method using vacuum molding and pressing. After use, the cushion is recycled as cardboard. It is a cost-efficient packaging alternative for relatively high-volume products.

Comprehensive understanding of manufacturing, design boundaries, and logistics requirements help to achieve an efficient design process with little iteration rounds.

• Sustainability – Made from recycled paper and natural fibers, molded fiber packaging is biodegradable and compostable
• Carbon neutral – Raw material is recycled wood fibres
• Monomaterial – Easier recycling (including boxes)
• Efficient logistics – Space saving, parts nested in storage and transit
• Versatility – Replacing plastic parts with similar 3D-shape molded fiber possibilities

The collaboration history between Huld and Ecopulp began ten years ago. Previous joint projects have been customer-oriented entities where Huld was responsible for the packaging design and Ecopulp acted as the manufacturer. Through numerous joint customers and successful projects, mutual interest arose to also engage in design collaboration directly with Ecopulp.

“We have been on a one-way journey with Huld for a long time, so it has been natural to deepen the collaboration. There is a lot of development potential in the industry”, Henttonen commented.