DS Smith brings 100 percent recyclable DryPack seafood box to US market

Packaging solutions provider DS Smith is bringing its award-winning DryPack cardboard seafood box to the United States after years of success in Europe. 

DryPack is a unique seafood box made from cardboard that is perfect for companies looking to ship fresh fish in 100 percent recyclable materials. The box – a past design winner of the World Packaging Association’s WorldStar Award – has been used to successfully ship seafood locally and via aircraft in Europe for nearly 20 years. 

“DS Smith is excited to provide the North American seafood industry with a proven, 100 percent recyclable, fiber-based box that meets uncompromising standards for transporting fresh fish,” DS Smith North America Packaging Managing Director Steven Rose said. “By shipping empty DryPack seafood boxes flat at a lower price – and moving customers away from non-recyclable EPS boxes and the waste disposal fees those boxes generate – we can give seafood processors an opportunity to increase efficiency and reduce their supply chain costs along with their carbon footprint.” 

DryPack features a 100 percent water-resistant design, enabling companies to pack fish in ice without worrying about leakage, DS Smith said. It uses DS Smith’s sustainable Greencoat solution, which is a completely recyclable, moisture-resistant, food-grade coating. When packed with ice, DryPack’s quality insulation can hold the temperature below 40 degrees Fahrenheit for more than 40 hours, according to the company. 

As lawmakers pursue stricture regulations on single-use plastics, companies need products like DryPack, according to DS Smith. In 2023, U.S. lawmakers reintroduced The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act, a bill that would ban the use of most single-use plastic products. At the international level, United Nation members are negotiating a legally binding global plastics treaty to address the pollution crisis. 

The cardboard used in DryPack is completely recyclable and is the perfect food-safe, leak-proof replacement for traditional expanded polystyrene (EPS) packaging. The company said it’s dedicated to finding sustainable replacements to plastics – since 2020, DS Smith has helped customers replace more than 700 million problem plastics, and its goal is to replace 1 billion plastic products by 2025. 

Switching to DryPack can also save money since companies do not have to pay to dispose of used, non-recyclable EPS packages, per Rose. Plus, users save even more by reducing the space needed, according to the company.  

Unlike EPS packaging, empty DryPack boxes are flat upon delivery, so they only take up minimal space in storage. When the product is ready to ship, the boxes are easily stacked, take up less space than typical EPS packages, and can be pallet-adapted for easy transport, DS Smith noted. DryPack is the only fish box that has been approved for airfreight by the International Air Transport Association. 

DryPack boxes can be uniquely branded to support customers’ marketing efforts as well. 

DS Smith’s commitment to the environment follows its comprehensive Now & Next Sustainability Strategy. Along with its significant plastic replacement strategies, the company is working to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon circular economy. DS Smith reduced its own CO2 emissions by 10 percent in 2023 and has partnered with its customers to create 30,000 circular-ready projects. The company also estimates it saves more than 360,000 trees from being cut down every year by recycling the paper fibers in its corrugated board products. 

DS Smith provides sustainable packaging solutions, paper products, and recycling services to more than 30 countries around the world. The company’s North America Packaging and Paper (NAPP) division, headquartered in Atlanta, oversees 16 box, sheet, paper mill, and recycling facilities across nine states. 

DS Smith will be exhibiting at Seafood Processing North America in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., from 10 to 12 March, 2024. Attendees of the expo can experience the company’s DryPak innovation in-person at Booth #1671.