Klabin develops more efficient packaging to meet the transportation and preservation challenges of fresh produce (FLV)

The Company’s solutions transport approximately 1.4 million metric tons of fruit per year, with box engineering focused on enhancing ventilation, strength, and logistical efficiency


Image: Klabin

São Paulo, August 27, 2026 – From the farm to the sales floor, fresh produce follows a logistics path that depends on food safety assurance, temperature management, ventilation, proper pallet stacking, and efficient transport space use. Any change in one of these factors can affect the quality of the product that reaches the end consumer. Corrugated boxes have advanced technologically to combine food protection with efficiency in cooling, storage, and logistics.

Klabin, Brazil’s largest producer and exporter of packaging paper and sustainable solutions in paper packaging, manufactures more than 200 million corrugated boxes per year for the transport of approximately 1.4 million metric tons of fruit, much of it destined for export. The development process for these solutions takes into account the characteristics of each product and the conditions it will face until it reaches its destination. These are projects that range from airflow analysis and mechanical strength testing to box sizing, with the goal of improving pallet and container utilization.

The Company presented this work at Brazil Conference & Expo 2026, held in São Paulo, during the panel Far Beyond Packaging: Performance and Sustainability in Every Box. Gustavo Jaoude, Regional Executive Manager for Corrugated Packaging in the North/Northeast at Klabin, and Felipe Broilo, the company’s Environmental Responsibility Coordinator, discussed how engineering, material development, and sustainability are applied to the needs of the fresh produce segment (FLV).

An example of this work is the packaging developed by Klabin to hold up to eight kilograms of grapes. The challenge was to balance fruit protection throughout the entire logistics chain with the need to make post-harvest cooling more efficient. Based on an analysis of the operation, Klabin redesigned the box structure and reversed its construction concept to widen the side opening and channel the flow of cold air. This change allows air to circulate more evenly among the fruit, reducing the time required in the cooling tunnel and, consequently, the energy consumption of this stage.

The box redesign also increased the package’s mechanical strength without compromising its lightweight design. That improvement allowed an additional layer of cases to be stacked on the pallet, increasing shipped volume and optimizing the use of logistics space. The solution also made it possible to replace fossil-based materials with corrugated boxes, produced from renewable raw material sourced from planted, certified forests, while also integrating into a well-established recycling chain, supporting circularity after use.

The project illustrates one of the key strategies Klabin applies in developing packaging for the sector: co-creating solutions that consider product characteristics, the logistics journey, and the customer’s specific needs. The goal is to use the box’s structural design to drive improvements across multiple points in the operation, such as ventilation, strength, productivity, energy consumption, and transport utilization.

To develop and test its products, Klabin relies on dedicated research and development facilities for innovative solutions, such as the Klabin Technology Center (CTK), located in Paraná, and the Packaging Technology Center (CTE), based in São Paulo. The Company also operates state-of-the-art facilities, including Piracicaba II (SP), Horizonte (CE), and Goiana (PE), with the capacity to produce packaging with exceptional quality and precision. In addition, Klabin’s business model integrates multiple stages of the value chain, from raw materials to final packaging production, enabling the combination of expertise in fiber blends, paper grades, structural design, and converting processes to achieve the best outcome according to each customer’s needs.

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