Akarton first and only European producer of patented sustainable packaging material

Akarton in Venlo is the proud European producer of the patented Hexpand. An innovative protective packaging solution made of corrugated cardboard that ensures safe shipment of products. According to director Mike Noldus, it is "extremely sustainable. "You no longer need environmentally damaging padding materials such as bubble wrap when shipping a fragile product. Since Oct. 1, 2024, we have the rights to manufacture and sell Hexpand in Venlo in Europe and the Middle East."

"Because of the way the corrugated cardboard is die-cut, you can use it to package all kinds of things safely," Noldus explains. "It's shock absorbent and fixative so you can do a lot of things with it. It consists of one hundred percent corrugated cardboard. That fits nicely with European packaging legislation, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. It is completely reusable. We now make it partly from recycled and partly from virgin cardboard, but we are looking into making it entirely from recycled material. You need far fewer raw materials than from other padding materials such as paper shreds or polystyrene padding chips."

No irritating shreds or air

That's not only better for the environment, it's also nicer for product recipients. "There is almost nothing more irritating than unpacking a huge box full of shreds that only contains something small. Large packages are irritating anyway, especially when they are mostly made of air. According to the new PPWR legislation, a package may only contain a maximum of 50 percent air. With Hexpand, you have smaller packaging and little air, because we don't have to fill any space."