Sustainability in industrial packaging is not a communication goal: it is an engineering challenge we are actively addressing. Through data, machinery and alternative materials that deliver results on real production lines.
Every year, billions of products are packaged using excessive amounts of plastic, shipped in half-empty trucks and delivered with an environmental impact that can be significantly reduced, not by changing the product, but by changing the way it is packaged.
Dolphin Pack has been addressing this challenge for years: not simply to comply with regulations, but because reducing packaging materials and optimizing logistics is simply better engineering.
The result is machinery that enables our customers to ship more products with fewer trucks, less plastic and lower emissions, generating direct cost savings that make the sustainable choice the most convenient one too.
Doing good and doing business are not conflicting goals. They are the same thing viewed from different perspectives.
Reduction in plastic film thickness
Fewer microns per metre of packaged product, with the same mechanical strength. We optimize film tension and thickness to use only the plastic that is actually needed, without compromising load protection or stability.
Use of up to 80% recycled plastic
Our lines work with polyethylene film containing up to 80% recycled material, without requiring system modifications or compromising packaging-cycle performance.
Use of 100% paper
Etesian Smart Hybrid and Burian Green package products in recyclable paper instead of plastic film, using the same machine. Zero plastic in the packaging cycle, with the same production speed.
Logistics is one of the most overlooked sources of environmental costs in industrial packaging. An uncompressed bulky product takes up three, four or five times more space than necessary, and every empty space inside a truck generates avoidable emissions.
Dolphin Pack machines apply hydraulic compression to flexible materials, mattresses, polyurethane blocks and technical foams, reducing their volume by up to 80% without damaging them. Once unpacked, the product expands back to exactly its original size.
The results are tangible: transporting 100 uncompressed polyurethane blocks would require five trucks, while the same 100 blocks can be transported in a single truck after compression. This represents an 80% reduction in volume, with documented logistics savings and a decrease of more than two tonnes of CO₂ for every 1,000 kilometres travelled.
Real-world example: a European mattress manufacturer shipping to the US market reduced the number of containers required by 80% thanks to the ETESIAN roll-pack compression system, going from five containers to one for the same quantity of products. This generated significant transport cost savings and a substantial reduction in CO₂ emissions.
Etesian Smart Hybrid and Burian Green are not “scaled-down” versions of our standard machines. They are designed to deliver the same speed, reliability and flexibility, using recyclable paper instead of PE film.
An automatic mattress line that works with both polyethylene film and recyclable paper, using the same machine without structural modifications. It packages, compresses, folds and rolls up to 2 units per minute.
The transition to paper packaging should not require a leap into the unknown. Dolphin Pack designs it as a gradual process, with a single investment that keeps every option open.
There is no need for two separate machines. Etesian Smart Hybrid and Burian Green handle paper and PE film interchangeably. You can start by packaging 30% of your production in paper and increase this share gradually, without purchasing a new system.
The Dolphin Pack technical team assesses the existing production line, production volumes, product formats and plastic-reduction targets. A customized transition plan is then developed.
The machine is installed and configured to work with both materials. During this phase, production can begin using conventional PE film while the team is trained to manage paper packaging.
Paper packaging is initially introduced for a portion of production, typically for higher-volume product sizes or for customers who specifically request it. Performance data is monitored in real time.
Once full-scale paper production has been achieved, Dolphin Pack supports the calculation of emissions savings, providing useful data for ESG reporting and compliance with European packaging regulations.
Publishing targets is easy. Achieving them requires concrete technical decisions. Here is what we have accomplished and what we are working on.
Launch of Etesian Smart Hybrid: the first industrial mattress machine with a recyclable-paper mode integrated into the same PE-film line.
Launch of Burian Green: a solution for polyurethane blocks up to 4 metres long, using recyclable paper and hot-melt adhesive sealing without heat-sealing the film.
Development of energy-recovery systems for the hydraulic compression stage and optimization of standby cycles on automatic lines.
Adapting paper-packaging technology to new industries: furniture, windows and doors, and large industrial products currently packaged exclusively with plastic film.
The European regulatory framework for packaging is becoming more stringent. Dolphin Pack machines are designed to comply with today’s requirements and anticipate those of tomorrow.
The new European regulation introduces binding targets for reducing single-use plastic in industrial and commercial packaging by 2030. Companies that fail to adapt risk restrictions on access to the EU market.
The European Single-Use Plastics Directive is progressively restricting the use of polyethylene film for packaging consumer products. Switching to paper is a direct and technically viable solution with Dolphin Pack machines.
