Sustainability Perspectives: Keeping delicate products safe

0:07We know many of the clients were concerned about the recently released PPWR regulation in Europe. We would recommend a fiber-based recyclable to align with the EU packaging labeling guidelines and also the Forever Green Recyclability Assessment Framework. Material is designed to achieve grade A recyclability under the fiber-based packaging protocol of PPWR.

0:43Jerome Zhang: Hello and welcome to our latest Sustainability Perspectives podcast. My name is Elisabeth Skura. I'll be your host today. and today we'll take a closer look at cushioning technology which obviously plays an important role to keep delicate products safe but often comes with challenges around sustainability and the packaging industry has been working hard to address this and today we will find out more about EcoCoon which is a dry process plant fibre cushioning technology developed by U2Eco and it is set to achieve a one-step moulding without water or secondary cutting or gluing, which enables low energy production and seamless integrated complex 3D shapes to gently protect precision components.

1:31Jerome Zhang: Here to tell us more about this is Jerome Zhang, who is Senior Research and Development Engineer at U2ECO. Welcome, Jerome, and thank you for being on the podcast today. Thank you Elizabeth and I'm very pleased to talk more about our innovative technology with all the audience. I look forward to our conversation. To get us started, for our listeners who maybe aren't so familiar with the company, could you tell us a bit more about who Utwiko is? Of course. Ytou Eatco is an innovation driven brand and Ytou, which is the leading packaging solution providers in Asia. Actually we are dedicated to sustainability and go beyond packaging solutions.

2:17We focus on developing eco-friendly products and new material. Actually our product concept is try to turn waste into treasure and make efficient use of natural resources.

2:29Jerome Zhang: And what inspired the company to develop EcoCoom? You see, plastic pollution has become a globally recognized problem. And among these issues, the plastic foam using packaging products is one of the most serious. Actually, many of our clients have reported facing a kind of dilemma between cushioning performances and environmental sustainability. plastic foam offers excellent protection but its low density makes it much harder to recycle than other plastic products such as beverage bottles which resulting in an extremely low recycling rate and we believe it is unlikely to improve that in a short term so although we have seen some eco-friendly alternatives have emerged on the market recently, such as corrugated ball, cardboard, honeycomb paper, or molded pulp.

3:33But they can't fully match plastic foam in terms of performance, form, price, and many other aspects. Therefore, we set out to develop a cushioning products that could completely replace plastic foam across all these dimensions. So that's why we created EcoComb.

3:55Jerome Zhang: Could you tell me what are some of the technology's key features that differentiate it from other solutions on the market, both made from plastics and fiber-based materials? Yes, EcoComb offers cushioning properties very similar to those of plastic foam, while also being environmental friendly. But comparing to, like I said, other fiber products, it uses no water for foaming. Production is simpler and lower in energy use. It can form complex 3D shapes directly, no cutting, no folding, no gluing. And the surface is smooth and clean, so it won't scratch delicate parts. It fits perfectly around any product shape.

4:43Jerome Zhang: And could you share some of the key performance data with me? Of course. In our test, it shows a degradation rate of about 12.24%, which means the material retains most of its protective capability, even after repeatedly loading. And we find a recovery ratio of approximately 80 % after 50 % compression. So it demonstrates excellent resilience and the dimensional recovery. Then density range greater than 50 kilograms per cubic meter, load bearing 135 kilograms. We tested within a 10 % compression of 18 by 18 and by 4.5 centimeter blocks. So it has a great performance comparing to those conventional plastic.

5:54And I should remind it, these are not just a promise. These are the real test results.

6:01Jerome Zhang: That's always good to highlight, yes. What products is Ecocone suitable for? We believe Ecocone is suitable for a wide range of applications that require high performance, also sustainable production, particularly with customization and complex shape. For example, high-end electronics such as motherboard or precision instruments, it provides a clean, no abrasive surface that protects those delicate circuitry or fine pins. In the meantime, it can also hold heavy-duty and fragile goods such as auto parts or glassware or machinery. It's dry process, elastated fiber network of superior energy absorption and resilience, effectively disperse shock and vibration during transit, providing more reliable cushioning than molded pulp or certain bioplastic that can be brittle or deformed easily.

7:18Then for other products, for example, certain luxury or premium consumer goods, Ecocon can be precisely molded to achieve elegant, customized shape that securely cradle products. products. So it's naturally premium aesthetic elevates the unboxing experience while ensuring excellent protection. So here's the bottom line. Whenever you need eco-friendly cushioning that is form-fitting, durable, and intricately shaped, EcoCone's dry molding process gives you unmatched design freedom.

8:07Jerome Zhang: You mentioned the different sectors that EQ can be used for, such as electronics, automotive, and also home appliances and precision instruments. What are the different requirements for cushioning technology in these different areas? Oh, that is actually a very complex question. Each sector imposes the distinct requirements in in terms of mechanical, environmental, or even regulatory. But I can briefly introduce some. For example, consumer electronics. It is our most advanced segment, like laptop, tablets, smartphone. they need high precision multi-point cushioning to protect those fragile screens or other components from drop-off vibration, especially during the global logistics.

9:10So the material also has to be clean room compatible. No fiber shredding, no outgassing. and Eco-Crum achieve all these to control the density, gradients, and the smooth surface finishes. Then home appliances could be a different game because many white goods like a refrigerator, a washing machine, they are very heavy. You need to corner an edge protection under high static loads. plus resistance to humidity during ocean freight. But Eco-Cone can be formulated to higher density. Actually, we have tried the density up to 120 kilograms per cubic meter for load-bearing corner posts and edge protector for those white goods with molded-in geometry that interlock with corrugated outer boxes.

10:20That would be more easy for them for shipping and loading with the panel in the written. Others, such as maybe automotive, which have very strict VOC requirements, precision instruments such as lab equipment would need to prevent electromagnetic discharge. EcoCone can meet all these requirements by slightly adjust the formulation.

10:50Jerome Zhang: Can EcoCone also be customized for different geometries and levels of protection? Yes. Actually, customization is one of EcoCone's core strengths. On geometry, the dry molded process let us produce near net shape parts with complex geometries. It would be impossible in corrugated box or honeycomb paper. Or expensive in foam die cutting. We can create a variable density zoom with a single part. On protection level, we tune through actually three levels. So that's density, thickness, and a fiber binder formulation. For lightweight consumer goods, I have mentioned, we can use a very low density, for example, 50 kilograms per cubic meter, and also with a very thin layer, like 20 millimeters of thickness.

12:06That could be enough. But for heavy industrial components, we could push the density to 120 or even plus and add internal restructures that manage compression stress. So that let us match or exceed the energy absorption of some plastic form. And we work closely with our consumer engine throughout CAD-based mode design and rapid prototyping with maybe 3D printing modes for validation. We iterate geometries before cutting production tooling. So that could shorten the development cycle from months to weeks. And what hurdles did you have to overcome to take EcoCune from concept to commercial production?

13:09Actually, to take EcoCune from lab to commercial reality, we did have solved three big challenges. That's process engineering, material science and equipment design. On the processes side, as we all know, a conventional molded fiber relies on water slurry and vacuum forming. If you have visited such production lines, you will see a giant burial, web-like pines, loud noise generated by the huge machinery. All that indicates that tons of water, massive energy consumption. So we took a fundamentally different path, a dry fiber air lay process with no water at all, which means we have to rebuild every stage from the scratch.

14:08You can imagine there is no off the shelf equipment for this at industrial scale. Then on materials, the trick was hitting the right balance between cushioning and sustainability, because we still need to use over 90 % plant fiber as the main content with a minimum bio-based binder. So with the impact absorption to match those conventional plastic foam like EPS or EPE, After extensive research and development, we landed on a fiber binder system with a cushioning coefficient. I can disclose the number. It's between 3.6 and 4.8, which is totally comparable to those petroleum-based efforts. Then on equipment, we develop a proprietary machine.

15:09As I mentioned, there are no off-the-shelf equipment. With our machine, we can achieve the circle times under 60 seconds per part and energy consumption around 40 to 60 % lower than conventional process process and a footprint less than one tenth of equivalent wet foaming line that what make ecocom economically viable at scales and beyond the lab we have to prove it in the real world So, of course, with the full vibration, drop impact and accelerating test, actually we have passed all these tests and we have launched our first commercial validation came with a computer host program. So we hold very confident with E-cocoon to replace those conventional plastic foam with equivalent protective performance.

16:20Jerome Zhang: That sounds great. And linked to that, is E-cocoon likely to be compatible for existing curbside paper and fiber recycling streams? Yes, of course. And this is a deliberate design priority. You see, EcoCone is composed of over 90 % plant fiber with bio-based band, a binder. The material structure is fundamentally cellulosic, analogues to paperboard or moldy pulp. In the standard repulping condition, which we're launching most of the recyclability tests, the fiber separates cleanly with the binder that is dispersed. So what you get is a clean fiber stream suitable for recycling into any new kind of new paper products.

17:27And our internal tests show that ECOCON's report can be added to a standard OCC or a white cotton board without compromising the quality of those recycled fiber outputs. We know many of the clients were concerned about the recently released PPWR regulation in Europe. We would recommend fiber-based recyclable to align with the EU packaging labeling guideline and also the Forever Green Recyclability Assessment Framework. Material is designed to achieve grade A recyclability under the fiber-based packaging protocol of PPWR.

18:16Jerome Zhang: To wrap up today, looking ahead to the future in the next sort of three to five years, what are your hopes and expectations for eCocoon and also for sustainability in the wider protective packaging industry? Looking ahead, our hope for EcoCone, I would say we are hoping it becomes the default choice for many brands seeking to eliminate petroleum -based form. In the coming three to five years, maybe we can target three milestones for that. First, of course, is the scale. So in our plan, by maybe 2028, we aim to have multiple commercial production lines operational across Asia and Europe with capacity to serve global, maybe electronics and appliance brand at volume parity with EPS.

19:27and EPE. Then second, of course, that would be the cost parity. As we scale equipment protection and optimize fiber supply chain, particularly if some audience have listened to our previous several protocols, we have launched several alternative fibers, which have a very competitive in the cost as the raw material, such as fungus grass or other agricultural residue, we expect to reach cost parity by the end of next year, so 2027. And also with a trajectory toward cost advantages, as carbon pricing and the EPR-free is making fossil-based form increasingly expensive, We could even have some advantages in the cost.

20:29Then third, product range expansion. Actually, beyond cushioning, we see EcoChrome evolving into a platform technology. For example, we can even reach higher density formulation. Actually, we are testing like 150 plus kilogram per cubic. For that kind of density, we can create structure products like a structure product tray or outer shield, enabling us to replace not just foam, but also plastic structure component in packaging. Finally, I would like to add one more thing, because we hope to see more cross-industry collaboration on the feedstock ecosystem. The future of sustainable packaging is not just about better products, it could be about regenerative supply chain because every industry are concerned about the supply chain now.

21:45At UTOL, we are already exploring partnership with agricultural operators to convert many of the crop residues like sugarcane baguers, wheat straw, rice husk into package fibers, try to create a value stream for farmers, especially those farmers in the local, while also reducing the reliance on those conventional virgin wood pulp. So we believe the most successful packaging company in the coming future will be those that have integrated their supply chain back to the field, maybe.

22:34Jerome Zhang: Yes, that sounds like a great plan and a very important development, definitely. So, yeah, thank you very much, Sherem, for talking to me today and telling me more about EcoCoon and Mew2Eco's wider plans. It's been great having you on the podcast. Yeah, I'm very glad. If you'd like to hear more about EcoCoon or more from Mew2Eco in general and more about collaboration in the packaging industry and generally take a deep dive into sustainable packaging. Make sure to attend Packaging Europe's Sustainable Packaging Summit, which, again, will take place in Utrecht this year in the Netherlands from November 10th to November 12th.

23:15Jerome Zhang: We'll have three days packed full of content session and an expanded lineup of speakers and exhibitors and, of course, attendees from across the value chain. Yeah, if that sounds of interest, I'll put a link to the summit in the podcast description as well, so you can find out where to get your tickets. Thank you very much for listening, everybody, and goodbye. Goodbye. Looking forward to seeing you in the summits.

24:04Thank you.

24:26Do