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Reusable, story telling packaging for kayak paddles

"We used to pack paddles in bubblewrap"

Emil Gyllenberg
Emil Gyllenberg
COO Melker of Sweden

“We used to pack our paddles in bubblewrap and tape, which doesn’t our brand at all. We aim to be the best in sustainability within outdoor and we always search for new environmentally friendly materials to use in our products. So of course, we also want to minimise plastic in our packaging.”

Melker of Sweden is an outdoor company selling kayaks, paddles, outdoor equipment and clothes. They have the bold ambition to completely game change the outdoor hardware industry.

“We want to make a real difference. Making the best products is crucial for saving the planet,” says the company founder, Pelle Stafshede. In 2021 they launched a new kayaking paddle and needed a packaging for it, a packaging free from fossil plastic.

“There was no sustainable way of packing paddles before. We wanted to find a better solution, something fun with an experience  in line with the product we sell.”
Emil Gyllenberg
Emil Gyllenberg
COO Melker of Sweden

A design collaboration

Melker of Sweden's design and packaging development collaboration with Stora Enso created packaging for their paddles which resulted in more successful outcomes than originally expected... 
A story teller. A renewable  box. A wall hanger. An awarded design.

And free from fossil plastic. All of these outcomes from a single collaboration.

The box was designed with a second life feature that matched the Melker of Sweden brand experience: A wall hanger for paddles.The box was designed with a second life feature that matched the Melker of Sweden brand experience: A wall hanger for paddles.
The box was designed with a second life feature that matched the Melker of Sweden brand experience: A wall hanger for paddles.

The design process

Making a box that is also a wall hanger and a storyteller
Ģirts Derums
Ģirts Derums
Design Manager Stora Enso
Together with Stora Enso Packaging Solutions’ design team, Melker of Sweden collaborated in workshops. Melker of Sweden needed a sustainable and resistant packaging that would protect the fragile paddles. Also, they asked the design team for a “second life feature”.
 
“They were very interested in reusability and did not want the box to be recycled or thrown away directly after unpacking, which is why they asked us to build in a feature for the box to have a second life.”
 
After many ideas, the result was a corrugated box that can also be used as a wall hanger for your paddles. A part of the box can be taken out and mounted on the wall to store the paddles when they are not being used. Since corrugated board is a stiff material, this works perfectly. The part that is not mounted on the wall can be recycled in paper recycling.
Great collaboration and new materials get awarded
The innovative combination of wood foam and corrugated board created a sustainable, yet protective box. Winner of The Gold Award in the New Materials category, Fachpack, Germany 
Stora Enso and Melker of Sweden collaborated on the box design to create the most on-brand experience possible.Stora Enso and Melker of Sweden collaborated on the box design to create the most on-brand experience possible.
Stora Enso and Melker of Sweden collaborated on the box design to create the most on-brand experience possible.
Emil Gyllenberg
Emil Gyllenberg
COO Melker of Sweden

While the Stora Enso team delivered the packaging design, Melker of Sweden provided the artwork for the inside of the box. It consists of photos from kayaking adventures and short snippets of their outdoor stories, or “Melker moments”.

“The comments we have got from customers about the packaging is that it ‘truly feels like us.’ I think it proofs that the design collaboration was great”.

Papira wood foam matched Melker of Sweden’s brand ethos, whilst giving eco-friendly protection to products.Papira wood foam matched Melker of Sweden’s brand ethos, whilst giving eco-friendly protection to products.
Papira wood foam matched Melker of Sweden’s brand ethos, whilst giving eco-friendly protection to products.

Papira®: A bio based cushioning wood foam

 
The design team also made another version of the packaging for the paddles, trying the new material Papira® by Stora Enso. Papira® is a wood foam that is completely bio-based, biodegradable, compostable and recyclable in ordinary paper recycling. 
 
In this version of the box, Papira® wood foam inserts were added to reduce packing time and give extra protection for the paddles. In September 2021, this version received the The Gold Award for the most outstanding and innovative packaging in Fachpack, the German packaging award contest, in the New Materials category.

Learn more

about Stora Enso’s sustainable packaging materials and innovative design team
 
XD Packaging Design
 
Wood foam

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