The Navigator Company has launched a new line of packaging products, the gKraft brand, to help accelerate the transition from plastic to the use of natural, sustainable, recyclable, and biodegradable fibres, once again demonstrating its commitment to sustainability and preserving the environment.
These new packaging solutions created by The Navigator Company were developed to meet the specific needs of the packaging market, particularly the industrial and retail segments: food, catering, pharmaceutical, apparel and cosmetics.
By using short eucalyptus fibres in the packaging segment, the company is taking another step forward in the innovation of its products. Despite having produced packaging paper for almost twenty years, The Navigator Company capitalised on the pandemic period to carry out extensive research, development and innovation, led by a multidisciplinary team and supported by RAIZ – Forest and Paper Research Institute, which took advantage of the specific molecular structure and morphology of Eucalyptus globulus fibres to develop resistant and sustainable paper materials, as alternatives to single-use plastic, which are safer and healthier for the food industry.
The project is now generating a new portfolio of patents, one of which has already been submitted for publication in June. In addition, two other patents are being developed, one in an advanced preparation phase and the other still in the trial phase.
The gKraft brand includes three sub-brands targeting specific market needs: FLEX was designed to develop flexible packaging for the food industry, catering and pharmaceutical trade; BAG is intended for retail product packaging (already used by major international brands such as Zara, Victoria Secret, Desigual, Nike, Cristiano Ronaldo Museum and Real Madrid, that use Navigator paper for their paper bags, helping to fight against the use of single-use plastic); finally, BOX (focused on paper for corrugated cardboard boxes) is intended for more resistant industrial and retail packaging, namely food retail, where there is a growing need for shelf-ready packaging, particularly in refrigerated environments, with high-quality printing to attract consumers and differentiate brands from the competition.
In addition to providing lighter packaging with the same strength, this new range of packaging papers is also safer and healthier when in contact with skin and food compared to recycled papers which have been banned in some European countries whenever there is direct contact with food because they contain harmful chemicals.
In addition, the new brand provides a quality seal that can be used by all producers who use gKraft paper as a raw material, thus reinforcing its commitment to contributing towards a more sustainable world, while also making different partners eligible for future brand initiatives. This quality seal is a guarantee for the end consumer since it ensures that the product being used – because it is a natural, recyclable, and biodegradable solution – helps to increase carbon sequestration, oxygen production, the protection of biodiversity and soil fertilisation, and to fight climate change. This seal also guarantees that the products do not contain recycled fibres and are thus free from their associated contaminants and safe for contact with food.
Oaks House Suite 4A
16 - 22 West Street
EPSOM
KT18 7RG
UNITED KINGDOM
00351 233 841 650/01372 728282