Environmental packaging issues top of the tree for IPS

Environmental packaging
issues top of the tree for IPS
As UK market leaders in the design and development of protective packaging in materials such as advanced foams, corrugated boards and composites, Wrexham-based Interactive Packaging Solutions (IPS) are sensitive to the wider issues associated with packaging.

This takes the company's capabilities beyond the immediate requirements of packaging for product protection and presentation, important though these are. IPS is also concerned with the strategic issues of packaging which include factors such as logistics and the environment.

An example of this 'consultancy in action' can be seen in the heat-treated plyboard clip cases, which were tailor-made for UK manufacturer of medical and scientific instruments, Waters Ltd.

Supplied in a variety of sizes and incorporating a palletised design for easy transportation, the clip cases designed by IPS have provided Waters with a re-usable, flexible and cost-effective packaging solution which also addresses key environmental issues.

These include:
• The use of steel clips which hold the lightweight outer case panels in place. These can be unclipped to enable the entire case to be
re-used. This contrasts with heavy traditional
shipping cases, which are usually broken up to
access the contents. The result is an
unnecessary consumption of materials and
a 'once-only' packaging approach.
• The use of laminated panels, which are
heat-treated to kill pests typically found in
untreated raw-wood packaging. These pests –
including the Asian long-horn beetle and Pine
Wood Nematode – have spread across the world
through wooden packaging materials, which has
prompted many countries to introduce
regulations to ban their use.

IPS recognises that the re-use and re-cycling of packaging materials is an important and irreversible trend, as Managing Director Andrew Laundy is keen to point out:

“Our company is committed to helping businesses meeting UK government targets for sustainable waste management,” says Andrew. “So as well as the wide range of environmental measures we can help put in place, IPS are also a registered re-cycler of both our own and other company's packaging materials.”

For further details on reducing the environmental impact of protective packaging you can visit the IPS web site at www.ips-uk.co.uk