“Designed to Help”, Smurfit Kappa’s new range of solutions to tackle the Covid-19

Smurfit Kappa has launched a new portfolio of products made of corrugated cardboard called “Designed to help”, with the aim of tackling some of the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. These include dividers for work areas and health centres, beds for temporary hospitals and isolation spaces, or temporary furniture, including shelves and tables.

This range has been developed by the company’s team of designers. The first products to see the light were separators, which were developed at the Smurfit Kappa plant in Pamplona. Their function is to enable people working side-by-side to maintain a safe distance. Their simplicity and efficiency make them ideal for use in many other places and work areas, including the designated emergency area within the Hospital Complex of Navarra, where they are used to separate patient beds for hygiene and privacy.

Arco Berkenbosch, vice president of Innovation and Development at Smurfit Kappa, said,

“We are all seeing reports in the media about the shortage of products and the need to respond quickly to deal with the pandemic. So I am very proud of our designers, who quickly took on the challenge of creating a set of simple, yet effective products, which are clear proof that corrugated is the best single-use material. The designs are freely available to all and we will continue to add other solutions to our ‘Designed to Help’ product portfolio in the coming weeks.”

Recent studies have shown that the virus that causes Covid-19 has a shorter life on corrugated cardboard than on other materials such as steel or plastic. For this reason, the cardboard and paper sector has been included in the list of essential services in government recommendations related to business closings.