DS Smith offers new DryPack options to North American customers

After successfully launching its sustainable DryPack seafood box in North American markets last year, DS Smith is now offering customers more flexibility and customizable branding variations of its award-winning packaging product.

"DryPack represents a significant step forward in sustainable seafood packaging," DS Smith Global CBU Director Steve Cooper told SeafoodSource. "Our 2024 launch of this innovative solution not only keeps seafood fresh and protected during transport, but it's also completely recyclable, serving as a great alternative to traditional plastic packaging.”

Previously honored as the winner of the World Packaging Association’s WorldStar Award, DryPack is a water-resistant cardboard box that allows seafood companies to pack fish in ice for shipping locally or via aircraft without having to worry about leaks or drips. With DS Smith’s recyclable, moisture-resistant, food-grade Greencoat coating, insulated DryPack boxes can keep fish below 40 degrees Fahrenheit for more than 40 hours.

DryPack boxes are also space savers. The boxes are flat upon delivery, minimizing the space needed to store them until use. Once assembled, DryPack boxes can be easily stacked and tightly packed on pallets, offering an efficient transportation solution that takes up less space than traditional packaging, according to DS Smith. It is the only fish box approved by the International Air Transport Association for airfreight.

DS Smith sees its DryPack solution as an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional, non-recyclable expanded polystyrene (EPS) packaging. Over the last four years, DS Smith has helped customers replace more than 700 million problem plastics by switching to the company’s products. DryPack isn’t just a sustainable choice; it saves customers money by removing the waste disposal fees companies must pay for EPS packages.

“We're proud to offer North American seafood companies a more sustainable option that can help them meet their environmental goals and reduce costs,” Cooper said.

Through its comprehensive Now & Next Sustainability Strategy, DS Smith is accelerating the transition to a low-carbon circular economy, the company claims. Among the packaging provider’s accomplishments are reducing its CO2 emissions by 10 percent in 2023, partnering with customers to create 30,000 circular-ready projects, and saving 360,000 trees from being cut down via its recycling efforts.

DS Smith first introduced its DryPack solution in Europe nearly 20 years ago; the company now provides sustainable packaging solutions, paper products, and recycling services in more than 30 countries. DS Smith launched DryPack in North American markets in 2024, with its North America Packaging and Paper (NAPP) division, headquartered in Atlanta, operating 16 box, sheet, paper mill, and recycling facilities across nine states. In the last year, DS Smith has expanded its North America offerings, collaborating with companies on custom product designs and expanding its DryPack selections to three standard sizes, DS Smith told SeafoodSource.

Attendees of the Seafood Processing North America show in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. are invited to visit DS Smith’s exhibit at Booth #2467 to learn more about the company’s DryPack offerings. The show will take place from 16 to 18 March 2025.