DS Smith equips Laylo with premium wine pack solution for transportation

19 Apr 2023 --- Laylo, a premium boxed wine retailer, has partnered with DS Smith to provide safe product transportation to consumers’ homes. DS Smith is also investing €145 million (US$159 million) into its paper mill in Viana, Portugal.

Laylo’s founders Laura Rosenberger and Laura Riches say they approached DS Smith to help reduce the likelihood of damage while the wine is in transit to consumers. 

The pack design is engineered to use a size-efficient area of material. At the same time, the kraft paper material used ensures the product arrives safely and undamaged. Its longer fibers help the packaging resist impacts and drops while in transit. 

To meet these expectations, the new packaging needed to be environmentally sustainable without compromising its core function of preventing damage to the wine. Therefore, DS Smith’s creative design team created a strong, protective yet elegant design solution. 

Improving consumer experiences 
By offsetting the inner wine packs at an angle, DS Smith says it reduced the number of exposed edges and corners that could be damaged. The company explains that the inner fitting works well with the wine packs and the outer pack to cradle, support and protect the product from any drops, impacts and shocks.

The Viana Paper Mill, situated in northern Portugal, is a market leader in Southern Europe, stresses DS Smith.Furthermore, enhancing the customer opening experience was also a priority for Laylo. Therefore, DS Smith combined print and structure, with a two-step open and reveal, demonstrating Laylo’s commitment of care for the customer and product.

“We established Laylo because we saw the sustainability benefits of boxed wine, and we knew our biggest challenge was to change perceptions around quality,” says Rosenberger.

E-commerce pressure
DS Smith also used its Circular Design Metrics software to analyze the carbon footprint of each pack design. The finished design and kraft materials create a pack with a footprint of 202 grams CO2 emissions – while ensuring full protection of the wine packs through the e-commerce supply chain.     

Anne Curtis, business unit lead e-commerce at DS Smith comments: “No one wants to receive damaged goods, especially when they’re expecting to receive a premium product that tastes even better than it looks.”

“However, the demands of e-commerce put intense pressure on packaging as it moves through the supply chain – with some products reaching greater G-forces than an astronaut traveling through the atmosphere to space,” asserts Curtis. 

“This is why we put packages through their paces – we use an impact intensity measurement to see how they fare, and what we find is that the answer is not more packaging but better-designed packaging.”

Paper mill investment 
DS Smith is also investing in its Portuguese paper mill in Viana. The investment package will include rebuilding the existing paper machine and a new recovery boiler, one of the most modern in Europe, says DS Smith.

The boiler is said to improve environmental performance by enhancing steam efficiency at the mill by 25%, with steam from the boiler being recycled back into the mill. The new boiler, provided by Valmet, is expected to start up in early 2025.DS Smith commissioned suppliers Voith and Valmet to rebuild the paper machine.

This investment package is one of many projects across Europe and North America. It contributes to DS Smith’s target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 46% on an absolute basis by 2030, compared to 2019 levels, and to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

Niels Flierman, head of paper and recycling at DS Smith says: “DS Smith is committed to leading the transition to a circular economy. Our paper-making operations across Europe and North America are focused on providing the paper needed to meet the growing demand for sustainable packaging.”

Paper machine rebuild 
Flierman says that as one of the company’s larger mills, “Viana has a huge role to play in this and the €145 million investment is a testament to our commitment to remain at the forefront of the market and to lead the way in the race to net zero in the paper industry”.

The new boiler will also support rebuilding the mill’s paper machine, branded PM4, increasing its speed and capacity. This will ensure that the Viana mill will continue to play a key role in meeting the rising demand for plastic replacement solutions. The rebuild allows for the production of new and innovative papers to support customers’ evolving demand for more sustainable packaging solutions. 

DS Smith has commissioned suppliers Voith and Valmet to rebuild the paper machine, with completion expected later this year. 

The Viana Paper Mill, situated in northern Portugal, is a market leader in Southern Europe, it says. Following a modernization plan in 2017, the mill became one of the most efficient kraft liner paper factories in Europe. It was acquired by DS Smith in 2018 and was previously known as Europac Kraft Viana.

Edited by Natalie Schwertheim