São Paulo, July 15, 2020 – Klabin, Brazil’s largest producer and exporter of packaging paper, and Gualapack, the world leader in stand-up pouches with nozzles, have joined hands to develop an exclusive packaging to store and transport hand sanitizer produced from microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) in partnership with the SENAI Institute for Innovation in Biosynthetics and Fibers (a SENAI CETIQT entity) and Apoteka, a cosmetics manufacturer. The thickener, discovered by Klabin’s Technology Center, is extracted from wood and replaces carbopol, an input not produced in Brazil and in short supply due to the pandemic.

The innovative packaging, developed in record time, is made from Klabin’s Sack Kraft Plano paper and uses lamination as a barrier to preserve the original properties of the product. The model creates a new line of applications for paper, replacing the rigid packaging normally used for this purpose, which helps to significantly reduce the quantity of fossil-based inputs and increase the recyclability rate of the final packaging.

This was Klabin’s first project in partnership with Gualapack. The model developed makes consumer experience even more sustainable, since both the hand sanitizer and its packaging reiterate the numerous possibilities of renewable sources that the company can offer.

Klabin’s Sack Kraft Plano paper, like all of its other products, is produced from renewable raw material obtained from planted and certified forests, and is 100% recyclable.