DS Smith, a sustainable fibre-based packaging provider, has announced the extension of its exclusive supplier deal with global confectionery company Mondelēz International.
This second consecutive five-year agreement will see Smith continue as the sole supplier of corrugated packaging for Mondelēz across Europe.
It builds on a decade-long relationship between DS Smith and Mondelēz, which owns global and local brands such as Oreo, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Milka, and Toblerone, among others.
The partnership, which marks the extension of existing services, will now focus on cooperation and collaboration for undertaking new projects.
Both companies are also committed to furthering their research and development programmes and to delivering sustainable packaging solutions through a radical joint innovation roadmap.
A primary goal of the Smith- Mondelēz partnership is to maintain resilient supply chains and ensure product availability, despite challenging market conditions.
The collaboration will introduce new fibre-based sustainable packaging solutions across the entire European markets, with concerted efforts to minimise the use of single-use plastics. It will help the companies to achieve net-zero emissions targets by 2050.
Smith Packaging Division CEO Stefano Rossi said: “This longstanding partnership is a testament to the strength of our shared vision together. We are uniquely focussed on redefining packaging for a changing world and in creating lasting packaging innovations across all areas of our customer’s business.”
For a superior transition to a more circular system, the companies will continue to leverage Smith's Circular Design Metrics, which was developed specifically for these transitions.
This tool will continue to guide the creation of new packaging innovations, assessing sustainability measures such as recyclability and material consumption.
In 2021, Smith and Mondelēz partnered to explore possibilities for developing customisable circular packaging solutions for the latter’s packaging operations.
