Smurfit Kappa and Wings for Aid develop packaging for dropping aid supplies from aircraft
Whether natural disasters, epidemics or wars: the weakest always suffer most in the affected areas. An estimated 100 million people in disaster areas need emergency aid every year: in most cases, rapid action is required. Relief supplies such as medicines, food, drinking water or tents must reach those affected as quickly as possible. Air delivery is essential for humanitarian aid, as it is the fastest way to reach areas that cannot be reached by land.
The Wings for Aid Foundation, a Dutch start-up that helps humanitarian organizations reach people in need in hard-to-reach places, and Smurfit Kappa, a provider of paper-based packaging solutions, have joined forces to develop aid boxes for airdrop from aircraft.
Tests have shown that the help box can be dropped from an aircraft without damaging the contents. The tests involved dropping a pack of 30 eggs from a height of 100 metres without damaging them. When the box is dropped, the sides of the box open to slow down and stabilize the fall. The pack therefore does not require any additional padding or built-in parachute and leaves no ecological footprint after use (100% biodegradable).
The alternative packaging solution
The solution is more cost effective and sustainable than current airdrop packaging solutions. Thanks to the cooperation with Smurfit Kappa, the help box meets all industry standards. It can also be produced worldwide, making cost-effective, sustainable and rapidly available packaging available on a global scale. The packaging solution has been awarded the TIACA Sustainability Award 2019, which is a great recognition by the air freight industry.
"Our goal is to be anywhere in the world within 48 hours, providing emergency aid where no one else can help," says Barry Koperberg, Director of Wings for Aid. "Then, when the relief efforts are flown on the ground, the size and weight of the box is tailored to the situation of the people in need. Even in rough terrain, the boxes can reach the people in need in a targeted manner, so that they can only collect them and use them immediately".
The development of packaging
Since 2015, Wings for Aid has needed to plan and develop the packaging. With the help of Smurfit Kappa's R&D department, the most suitable material was defined and the design refined in terms of strength and ease of folding. For the first production run, the Smurfit Kappa factory in Olen (BE) was called in, where the team helped to find the right combination of machines and tools for small series production (50-500 pieces per run). Barry Koperberg, Managing Director of Wings for Aid Foundation: "Smurfit Kappa is so much more than just a supplier to us. We see it as an important cooperation partner. Without the R&D hours they have put into this project, we would never have been able to develop the optimized box".
Algorithm enables precise drop-offs
The new packaging is currently in a late test phase, but will soon be ready for use. The use of various "kits" is planned before the end of this year. These may consist of food and kitchen utensils, hygiene articles or medical products, for example - depending on the situation of the people in the crisis regions and which products are most urgently needed at the moment.
"We are currently able to drop boxes with a capacity of 20 kg from a height of 100 metres at a speed of 90 km/h undamaged at a specified location," says Barry Koperberg. A capacity of two tons per day is planned for next year, with several remote-controlled aircraft to be used.
The optimisation of the box is also an ongoing process. The next step will be to further improve the folding in order to design a second version for high speed dumps at more than 90 km/h. Since the size of the boxes has been standardized, the main differentiating factor is the speed of the aircraft. Wings for Aid has developed a proprietary algorithm to predict the exact dropping position of the box. This is to be integrated into the autopilot to ensure precise delivery to the defined and secured drop zone, which is about the size of a tennis court.
Frank Sinnige, Customer Experience & Innovative Director for the Smurfit Kappa Benelux region: "We were very pleased to be involved in such an important project. It fits perfectly with our 'Better Planet Packaging' initiative to redesign packaging for a more sustainable world".
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