New strong cartonboard takes lightweighting to a new level

30.09.2019

CrownBoard is the new cartonboard brand from BillerudKorsnäs, so strong that it allows for substantial reduction of packaging weight. The launch of CrownBoard gives customers new opportunities to save cost and reduce environmental impact.

Cartonboard packs are often unnecessarily heavy. The remedy is called lightweighting – reduction of packaging weight without compromising packaging performance. It is a matter of strength.  Cartonboard that is strong, tough and stiff performs better than a weaker board. And with the stronger board, a lower basis weight does the job.

The three golden benefits of lightweighting

“You can start a lightweighting project for different reasons”, says Lena Dahlberg, Manager Carton Solutions BillerudKorsnäs. “Lightweighting saves cost. Less raw material is used and less energy and production resources are needed. Less transport and warehousing requirements. It adds up to great savings along the entire value chain.

The same savings of course also correspond to reduced environmental impact and better stewardship of natural resources. While wasteful over-packaging is frowned upon, lightweighting reflects positively on a brand. It is associated with awareness and responsibility, and when it becomes part of the brand identity it is a competitive advantage.”

Savings in figures

Let us say that you usually order 28 tonnes of 315 gsm (17.9 pt / 455 µm) CrownBoard Prestige™, but switch to 290 gsm (15.9 pt / 405 µm) of the same product. Here is the difference the reduction makes:

• 2.2 tonnes less raw material to buy.
• 8 fewer pallets to transport.
• 120 kg less waste to take care of.

This is an 8% weight reduction. In reality the outcome is better, because in most cases a heavier and poorer board is replaced by a stronger lightweight board from BillerudKorsnäs. Up to 20% reduction is not unusual and the average is a good 10%.

The CrownBoard effect

The CrownBoard brand is a family of three, all of them offering lightweighting opportunities. The CrownBoard Prestige™ range will include new superlight grammages to stretch lightweighting further. CrownBoard Artisan™ is a natural lightweight board with excellent performance also in very low grammages. CrownBoard Craft™ is made stronger and bulkier than its predecessors, and all grammages throughout the range have been tweaked to weigh less.

How to achieve successful lightweighting

Besides the strength of the material – a result of the fibre composition and the multi-layer structure – the right knowhow is a prerequisite. The Carton Solutions team at BillerudKorsnäs have the expertise and the advanced equipment to carry out lightweighting projects, from pre-study to prototype testing under realistic conditions. The final recommendation takes into account the demands placed on the packaging solution through its lifecycle, and what forces the package is subjected to in the handling chain. Lightweighting is generally a spinoff from a packaging optimization project, where weight reduction is one of many improvements.

More than board

Putting lightweighting in a business context, the offer consists of several parts. Premium cartonboard, access to unique packaging expertise, and the personalized services that make up good business support – that is CrownBoard.