Leading the Charge in Eco-friendly Packaging Solutions!
Amidst the rapid-fire pace of modern life, convenience often comes at a cost – a cost to our planet and its precious ecosystems. Among the many pressing environmental challenges we face, plastic pollution remains a significant and urgent issue. One of the major contributors to this problem is plastic packaging, which has become ubiquitous in our daily lives. However, it’s time to rethink our reliance on plastic packaging and embrace a more sustainable future.
In this increasingly conscious of the environmental impact of packaging, one company has been at the forefront of the green packaging revolution for over 25 years – PaperFoam®. Led by visionary CEO Willem Derkman, it has been blazing a trail in innovative, biobased, and compostable packaging solutions, offering a game-changing alternative to plastic and conventional packaging materials.
For PaperFoam, sustainability is more than a mere catchphrase; it’s a core value that permeates every aspect of its operations. Employing state-of-the-art technology and patented injection molding techniques, they craft packaging interiors with impressively low carbon footprints. By harnessing industrial starch and fibers in their protective trays, it has set unprecedented standards for eco-friendly packaging, presenting a greener choice over plastic, carton, and pulp packaging.
With a commitment to making a meaningful global impact, PaperFoam’s tailor-made packaging solutions cater to a diverse array of industries. From consumer electronics to medical devices, cosmetics to dry foods, their innovative designs are customized to meet the unique requirements of each client. Esteemed companies such as iZettle, T-Mobile, and Airtame have embraced PaperFoam as their eco-friendly packaging partner, adopting a sustainable approach to product presentation.
PaperFoam’s journey towards environmental sustainability commences in the Netherlands, where their Research & Development, packaging design, and mold manufacturing are meticulously conducted. From this hub of innovation, it serves clients across the globe, with local sales agents situated in Amsterdam, Berlin, New York, and Penang. With production facilities spanning the USA, Malaysia, Czech Republic, and the Netherlands, PaperFoam’s influence extends far and wide, leaving a positive imprint on a global scale.
As the demand for top-tier product presentation grows, PaperFoam rises to the occasion by delivering cost-effective production, design, and logistics implementation. Their dedicated team of nearly 300 full-time employees worldwide ensures seamless execution, providing top-notch packaging solutions that are both environmentally responsible and economically viable.
Let us delve deeper into their journey!
Willem – Leading PaperFoam to New Horizons
Willem Derkman, the CEO of PaperFoam, had his first introduction to the company during his technical business administration studies at the University of Groningen. After joining the marketing and sales department in 2002, he witnessed the company’s growth and progress. When the former CEO, Mark Geerts, began searching for a successor, Derkman was chosen to fill the role. With pride, he reflects on the achievements and accomplishments of PaperFoam throughout the years.
Organizational Standards and Values of PaperFoam
Quality:
The main goal of PaperFoam is to offer an excellent product that meets customer requirements within the given timeframe. From new product development to production and product delivery, it is dedicated to ensuring zero defects in every step of its processes.
This view on quality must be achieved through the following:
- Excellent customer service,
- Sufficiently skilled staff, who feel responsible for their work in relation to internal and external customers,
- High delivery reliability,
- Efficient, effective, and flexible internal business processes,
- Reliable suppliers, with regard to quality, delivery time, and supply at competitive prices,
- A good internal awareness of their capabilities,
- Clean working environment.
From temporary workers to management, the entire business is infused with quality thinking. Every person and every process must continuously check and preserve quality in their everyday job. The firm keeps a constant focus on quality by giving importance to what benefits the consumer.
Continues Improvement:
They strive for continuous improvements in their processes in several ways:
- The organization remains responsive to the evolving needs and desires of its stakeholders and the changing environmental conditions. This is accomplished through regular risk assessments and gathering feedback from stakeholders.
- By embracing emerging technologies and undertaking groundbreaking customer projects, companies are able to stay at the forefront of knowledge and innovation.
- They are all ISO 9001: 2015 certified, which emphasizes their focus on quality.
Corporate Social Responsibility:
Sustainable living is something that PaperFoam is dedicated to. Their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy is built around the idea of fostering a sustainable living environment for both current and future generations. Throughout the whole process, from the sourcing of raw materials to manufacture and disposal, PaperFoam ensures that the solutions it provides to customers are environmentally friendly. But their dedication to sustainability goes beyond concern for the environment. Additionally, they make an effort to build long-lasting relationships with their partners and employees while acting in a socially responsible manner.
Employer style:
By promoting an open culture within a horizontal organizational structure, PaperFoam wants to put its employees’ welfare first. The company’s principles, which include respect, honesty, adaptability, trust, equality, and appreciation, are essential to developing a work atmosphere that is favorable for employees. Furthermore, PaperFoam aggressively solicits and values the ideas of its staff members, encouraging them to spot and emphasize areas that could use improvement.
Diversity:
With regard to hiring practices, PaperFoam adheres to encouraging diversity. The business makes sure that training facilities, other hiring agencies, and employment agencies all follow the same employment standards. Additionally, wherever possible, PaperFoam wants to give people who might encounter obstacles in the job market a chance to join its workforce.
Local:
In its hiring practices, PaperFoam is devoted to supporting diversity. The business makes sure that all hiring agencies, including employment agencies, other hiring agencies, and training facilities, follow the same employment standards. Additionally, PaperFoam strives to make it possible for anyone who might encounter obstacles in the job market to join its workforce.
Planet:
In order to produce its packaging materials, PaperFoam places a high priority on minimizing its negative impact on the environment and using fossil fuels everywhere possible. A more sustainable world is actively promoted by their goods. Utilizing bio-based materials, they want to create packaging that is both recyclable and compostable at home.
PaperFoams core values
They consider the following core values important
- Together: To achieve its goals, they work together with both internal and external stakeholders.
- Flexible: To give their clients the finest service possible, they are accommodating. Additionally, they are accommodating to their staff members, enabling them to arrange their work in a way that minimizes disruption to their personal lives.
- Creative: In order to produce appealing concepts for their clients and even more environmentally friendly technologies and materials, they foster innovation.
- Solution-oriented: They enjoy thinking of the greatest solution for their customer and taking extreme measures to get it.
- Continuity: They want to ensure their continuity by developing long-lasting relationships and becoming profitable over time.
Sustainable Solution for a Greener Planet
Willem says, “Sustainable packaging is as green as it gets.”
Throughout its entire existence, PaperFoam® sustainable packaging presents an eco-conscious alternative. Utilizing industrial starch, fibers, and water, this packaging incorporates biobased and renewable materials in its production. The outcome of this low-carbon, energy-efficient manufacturing technique allows the product to be composted at home or recycled alongside paper.
Furthermore, PaperFoam® packaging exhibits spontaneous decomposition within a matter of weeks, leaving behind no harmful residues or pollution. This certified sustainable packaging benefits both producers and customers by exemplifying ethical and environmentally-friendly practices. Moreover, PaperFoam® effortlessly dissolves in water without generating any hazardous waste, rendering it entirely compostable.
Due to its lightweight nature and dedication to eliminating plastic waste, PaperFoam® significantly contributes to the reduction of CO2 emissions. Its reduced weight also results in lower emissions during transportation, making it a highly advantageous choice for sustainable packaging.
Functionality and Aesthetics
Willem underscores the remarkable customizability of the PaperFoam® mixture, emphasizing its capacity to adopt any color since it is meticulously created from scratch. Furthermore, each mold is carefully tailored to cater to the unique requirements of individual clients. Whether one seeks packaging enriched with added texture, the convenience of stackable packing trays, or the integration of a logo on the biobased packaging, PaperFoam® stands ready to deliver a fully personalized solution. Flexibility is at the heart of PaperFoam®’s ethos.
Speaking of its weight-saving prowess, PaperFoam® packaging excels in reducing weight by up to 40% compared to conventional product packaging. Despite its lightweight nature, it remains resolute in safeguarding the enclosed product. In fact, the biobased packaging forms a protective cushion around the item, outperforming regular packaging in terms of protection.
The production of PaperFoam® trays employs various recipes to ensure a harmonious blend of functionality and aesthetics. By manufacturing close to customers, PaperFoam® minimizes shipping time and its environmental impact, further solidifying its commitment to sustainability.
Unbeatable Customizability
Willem underscores the remarkable customizability of the PaperFoam® mixture, emphasizing its capacity to adopt any color since it is meticulously created from scratch. Furthermore, each mold is carefully tailored to cater to the unique requirements of individual clients. Whether one seeks packaging enriched with added texture, the convenience of stackable packing trays, or the integration of a logo on the biobased packaging, it stands ready to deliver a fully personalized solution. Flexibility is at the heart of its ethos.
Speaking of its weight-saving prowess, PaperFoam® packaging excels in reducing weight by up to 40% compared to conventional product packaging. Despite its lightweight nature, it remains resolute in safeguarding the enclosed product. In fact, the biobased packaging forms a protective cushion around the item, outperforming regular packaging in terms of protection.
The production of PaperFoam® trays employs various recipes to ensure a harmonious blend of functionality and aesthetics. By manufacturing close to customers, it minimizes shipping time and its environmental impact, further solidifying its commitment to sustainability.
With each step of the production process closely monitored, the team ensures that perfection is attained. Once the new biobased packaging is flawlessly crafted and passes rigorous quality checks, it is stacked with care and shipped to the eagerly awaiting customers.
Powerful Message
Make a conscious effort to preserve our planet by opting for an eco-friendly, biobased, and paper-recyclable packaging solution. When you select PaperFoam® packaging, you go beyond supporting sustainability; you also reap the following benefits:
- Carbon footprint reduction of up to 90%
- Personalized and biodegradable design options
- A diverse selection of colors, intricate details, and textures
- Enhanced product protection through a perfect fit
- Embrace packaging for a sustainable future!
Untold Challenges
It’s not always simple to introduce a new packaging material to the market, Willem remarks when speaking about the difficulties. Particularly not when trying to replace plastic, as this has been so thoroughly demonstrated.
Vision for the Future
Willem shared his enthusiasm during a discussion of future plans by saying, “We feel like we are just getting started. There is so much unnecessary plastic still used in packaging that there is still a lot to gain. At the same time, we keep improving our process and product.”
An exciting advancement comes in the form of PaperFoam Plus, a new variant that retains the core attributes of its traditional material while boasting a thicker wall. This enhancement enables it to accommodate heavier or more demanding products, offering a compelling substitute for EPS or Styrofoam.
PaperFoam has recently joined forces with Nissha, united in its primary goal of accelerating research endeavors. This collaboration affords abundant opportunities, time, and resources to explore diverse avenues for enhancement and the creation of innovative technologies.
Packaging Towards a Sustainable Future:
PaperFoam is driven by a firm commitment to significantly mitigate the adverse environmental effects of packaging, particularly concerning global warming and the depletion of non-renewable resources. Over the next 5 years, they have set a target to curtail the worldwide carbon footprint of packaging by approximately 40 kilotons CO2-eq. Moreover, they are dedicated to an annual reduction of at least 15 kilotons in the subsequent years. To achieve this, PaperFoam plans to replace roughly 500 million conventional packaging trays, crafted from materials like pulp, PE, PET, PS, and RPet, with Biobased and paper recyclable PaperFoam trays. This transition not only reduces oil consumption but also minimizes water usage.
To realize these objectives, it envisions an expansion of at least 15-25% annually. Throughout this growth trajectory, sustainability remains a paramount focus. This includes fostering sustainable relationships with stakeholders, such as employees and customers, while ensuring an unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability.
They want to achieve their ambitious goals by below summarizing six main topics:
- Strictly adhere to the zero-defect policy.
- Reduction of energy use and garbage generation at their workplaces.
- The ease with which PaperFoam® is accessible to clients everywhere.
- Growing and solidifying their customers among the industries where PaperFoam is applicable. They concentrate on initiatives for which they have faith that production can be carried out successfully and profitably. They are willing to take on difficult initiatives that advance our technologies.
- Innovation and advancements in PaperFoam production methods and material.
- Upholding long-lasting connections with all of their stakeholders, which entails close collaboration with their clients, business partners, and strategic suppliers.
Raving Countless Awards
Dieline Award: Half Magic beauty
NL packaging awards: Alpine
Worldstar Award 2022:
Eco-minded Packaging for Half Magic:
“Makeup containers rarely get recycled. Why? Because there are too many obstacles. Compacts and other containers are too small for curbside recycling, or makeup containers consist of materials that are often unsuitable for recycling to begin with. We can change that. Half Magic strives to shake up and wake up the makeup industry when it comes to reducing beauty waste. Excited to support them in promoting circularity in the beauty industry, we created PaperFoam® makeup compacts and other packaging solutions for Half Magic,” expressed Willem.
