Sigrist announces setting up of packaging manufacturing plant in Gujarat
Switzerland-based SIG, a leading solutions provider of packaging for better, is set to become one of the fastest growing aseptic packaging brands in India with increased manufacturing capacities and partnerships with most of the biggest Indian beverage, juice and dairy players.
The key to success in India lies in providing differentiated sustainable packaging, says Samuel Sigrist, Global CEO of SIG Group, the aseptic carton packaging solutions provider.
In India, to announce the setting up of a packaging manufacturing plant in Gujarat, Sigrist was categorical that the company would “compete on a differentiated offering because we have a number of unique selling propositions to help us grow the business.”
Sigrist, who assumed the role of CEO on 1 Jan 2021, believes that the packaging industry is currently going through a transformation with sustainability at its core.
“Sustainability is not just nice to have but is a must-have and we can help industry to lead the transformation because we are at the forefront,” he said in a release on 7 Apr 2023.
“We define sustainability performance or sustainability for a packaging substrate along three dimensions,” explained Sigrist.
For SIG it means creating the least carbon footprint in its packaging, ensuring 100% recycling of its cartons and ensuring that the content, including the electricity for making the packaging, comes from renewable sources.
“What we do is driven by the desire to offer a sustainable solution that we can spread across the globe. The biggest step toward sustainable packaging is taking out the aluminum foil from the beverage carton without compromising either on shelf life or on its barrier properties and we are leading there.
“We have a lot of engineers that work on material science projects to find new alternative materials that are even more renewable,” he said.
“Imagine if we sell only aluminum-free solutions, for the 40 billion packs we sell in a year, we reduce the carbon footprint of the 40 billion pack in one step by 50%.
“The biggest hurdle to overcome is to offer a cost parity for aluminum-free solutions as it’s slightly more expensive today. But we have a line of sight to get there and it’s not going to take more than five years to get there,” he elaborated.
The global packaging player not only ships 100% designed recyclable cartons but also ensures its collection by creating the right infrastructure, a relevant and important aspect for the Indian market.
The company also ensures that the raw material that it uses for manufacturing its aseptic cartons comes from renewable sources and not from finite sources.
For instance, 100% of the material comes from forests, certified by the Stewardship Council as sustainably managed forests.
“So, we have a pack which is 100% linked to the forest or 100% from a renewable source. And those three dimensions are relevant to continue to drive to sustainability impact, and that’s where we score very well versus also all the other alternative packaging substrates,” Sigrist said.
Another important innovation is the volume flexibility that it provides to customers in terms of packaging and an edge over its competitor’s rivals. Its packaging folders allow its customers to downsize from a 250-millimetre to a 100-millimetre pack in less than 10 minutes.
This volume flexibility allows customers to maintain the price point even when input costs go up by reducing the pack size. It fulfils the goal of the food and beverage manufacturer of ensuring that the consumer doesn’t have to pay more for the product.
Besides these innovations, the company also works with customers that use paper straws and has solutions where the cap is designed in such a way that it is not thrown away but gets recycled as a whole unit.
This unique proposition has ensured that SIG, which will boast 40 filling machines by the end of the year, having started with two machines in 2018.
Moreover, establishing a local manufacturing plant in Gujarat will provide a strong partner to the Indian players. It will also improve service levels, resulting in shorter lead times and greater reliability, he said. fiinews.com
