Three Oceans Ltd based in Hull is the first company in the world to use corrugated board powered by its own fish waste.
The board is manufactured in a carbon-neutral factory, which is supplied to a local box-maker working in partnership with Reelbrands, CorrBoard and CorrBoard Bioenergy.
Nick Kirby, Director of CorrBoard Bioenergy, states they collect fish waste from Three Oceans and transfer it to their new Anaerobic Digester in Scunthorpe, where it is converted into biogas, heat, steam and electricity, which is then used to power the corrugated factory producing the board on the same site. The bio energy plant can convert 25,000 tonnes of food waste per annum – enough to produce electricity for 1,500 homes. The corrugated factory only uses approximately half of the energy generated, the balance of which is supplied back to the National Grid. The waste product from this process is fertiliser, which is supplied to local farmers.
Driven by our desire to provide customers with quality MSC certified fish from sustainable sources, we sought the help from Reelbrands to ensure our fish is always packed efficiently and sourced from renewable materials, which are easy to recycle. We are delighted to announce this ground-breaking development, which sets a new standard towards reducing our carbon footprint; stated Geoffery Druce, Sales & Marketing Director of Three Oceans.
Given all the plastic that has been piling up in our oceans, I am delighted to see a proactive company like Three Oceans so determined to help drive change and do its bit to reduce plastic pollution. They have just set the gold standard for the fish industry – reducing packaging overall and eliminating fossil fuel plastic said Sian Sutherland, Co Founder of A plastic Planet.
This is the first time a company has been able to facilitate a true closed-loop of food-waste to energy, to packaging, which makes great business sense plus good for the environment.
This all started with the ground-breaking development of Three Oceans’ display carton (shown above) which was developed to improve how fish is packed, distributed and retailed at point of purchase. The new plastic-free and FSC certified carton replaces a plastic bag, taped corrugated box and litho printed sleeve. It is a direct-food contact, freezer-proof, water-resistant printed carton made from our specially developed REELboard.
REELboard is a 3-ply water-repellant recycled fibre laminate produced exclusively in the UK by our partners; Heathpak working in partnership with SPP Labs. There are other water-resistant fibre-based materials available, but none that could compete and perform as well as plastic or PE-coated board. New plastic-free materials, advanced coating technology and a holistic design approach is how REElbrands’ reduce total cost – from packaging consumables to production efficiency and reducing environmental impacts. Three Oceans has more than doubled its production line speed and sales have increased beyond expectations.
As a result of us helping to reduce cost, drive innovation and improve fish sales, Three Oceans has just awarded Reelbrands a two year supply contract.
Ian Bates, Co-founder, Reelbrands
