The Publication For The Grocery Trade
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Smurfit Kappa wins with its innovative grobox biodegradable design

Winner at the UK Packaging Awards, Smurfit Kappa's GroBox design is an intelligent mix of practical application delivered in an ethical solution. The two-piece corrugated and solid board combination is an easy to assemble and totally biodegradable kit, which contains a 'garden' in a box, as marketed by GroBox Gardens Ltd who hold the patent on biodegradable planting products.

The key requirements of GroBox Gardens were to design a new packaging solution to assist in promoting sales and building brand identity when launching its innovative product into the horticultural sector. The product is a self-contained and convenient plant and flower growing system, whereby the consumer plants the entire box into the ground in one easy step. Each box contains around 48 bulbs of six varieties, selected and arranged by leading horticulturist Jayne Lawton. All the consumer then has to do is regularly water the ground where the box has been planted and sit back and watch the flowers grow.

Smurfit Kappa has designed the internal structure of the box so it is specifically arranged to the required space and depth for each bulb to achieve effective growth. In addition the container incorporates water distribution channels constructed to deliver an efficient water supply to each growing plant, again ensuring the optimum growth environment. The GroBox also contains built-in nutrients which condition the soil as Smurfit Kappa's recycled substrates biodegrade.

The entire container is environmentally friendly. The tray component is manufactured from recycled corrugated board and the internal partitions are constructed by Smurfit Kappa Lokfast using waste based papers.

Jayne Lawton, Managing Director of GroBox Gardens Ltd, is delighted with the end result: "The GroBox has been years in the making and the packaging forms an essential aspect of the proposition. The consumer benefits from the convenience of planting the entire pack into the ground so it was of the utmost importance that the pack delivered in terms of providing an effective growth environment, whilst also being completely biodegradable. The design team at Smurfit Kappa completely understood my requirements and the end result is fantastic. It's an intelligent solution for an innovative product which also does its bit to help the environment."

The pack outer is printed in three colours, highlighting the GroBox logo and product details, which assists in ensuring the pack has on-shelf impact. It is sold throughout the UK and Europe through retail, mail order and the internet.

If you would to talk to Smurfit Kappa UK about how you can create innovative packaging solutions and utilise the company's industry leading range of print and manufacturing facilities, call 0870 8503877 or visit www.smurfitkappa.co.uk
Contact Information
For further information please contact:

Smurfit Kappa UK
Tel: 0870 8503877
www.smurfitkappa.co.uk