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Nature’s perfect packaging inspires a technological breakthrough Ecolean marks a new corporate growth phase with the opening of a new production plant in China, delivering to Asia one of the most environmentally innovative and cost-effective advancements in food packaging materials. The inspiration that led to Ecolean’s success in developing a unique packaging material comes from what could be considered the perfect packaging – the egg. Made up mostly of calcium carbonate, more commonly known as chalk, the egg illustrates the efficiency of a natural substance performing an amazing feat. Ecolean has developed food packaging that is made up of over 50 percent chalk, which is one of the most benign, readily available and easily extracted minerals in the world. This has reduced the environmental impact of the new packaging material by up to 75 percent in comparison with conventional ones. The new environmentally sensitive packaging also performs better than other materials at a lower cost, and has powered a strong expansionary period for Ecolean as it confidently steps into global company status. Since its founding in 1996 by Åke Rosén, Ecolean has grown at a cautious pace, strongly focused on developing technologies to ensure quality for its customers. Its turnover has increased dramatically each year – even doubling in 1999 and 2001. The company’s new production facility in Tianjin, China reflects the appeal and potential of the new packaging in this expanding market, and features the use of almost 100 percent local raw materials. From its Asian base in Tianjin Ecolean serves clients from Australia and the Philippines to Thailand Ecolean’s president and CEO Per Gustafsson boasts of the unique new packaging. “It not only saves the environment by using up less energy to produce it, thus emitting a fraction of the pollution created when producing any other packaging and creating not only less waste upon recycling but also less hazardous waste.” “But it also performs excellently as food packaging: it has no aftertaste, it is microwaveable, it has a good shelf life and barrier properties perfect for fresh foods, and finally it creates a great surface for the sharp printing of product brands attention-grabbing designs,” he adds. The Swedish company has indeed been just as innovative with the design styles of this packaging as it has been with the technology of the material. One of its three product branches – LeanPack – has become the most successful in Asian markets due in part to user-friendly design that gives products a better shelf profile with very modern styling. |
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