A 3D graphic showing Interpac's cold corrugator. From right to left, the production line moves from flat paper sheets on a conveyor belt to large rolls of brown corrugated paper at the end of the linee. Two figures in hard hats monitor the line.
With the Sustainability Awards less than a week away, we asked Dale Harris, chief operations officer at Interpac, about its cold corrugator for sheet convertors, a finalist in the Climate category said to use 61% less carbon, 98% less water and yield 80% fewer transport emissions.
You’re a finalist in the Sustainability Awards 2026. Congratulations! To start off, could you summarize your entry in less than 50 words?
Interpac has developed the first commercially available cold corrugator; allowing sheet converters full production control, removing minimum order quantities and delivering a flat, high-quality print surface. It uses 61% less carbon, 98% less water, and yields 80% fewer transport emissions. The poster child for translating environmental benefits into commercial gain.
Why do you think the judges were impressed with your entry? Tell us about what is innovative about your project and its impact on packaging sustainability.
There are three main reasons why I think the judges were impressed by our entry for the Interpac 1250 cold corrugator. Many companies and individuals over the years have sought the ‘holy grail’ of cold corrugating. Interpac succeeded and has generated a truly transformational and industry disruptive product, with patents gained in the USA, EU, UK and China.
The environmental benefits of our cold corrugator are significant (and are independently verified), whilst the commercial gains for sheet converters are vital. Having a great environmental impact does not guarantee industry uptake in a fiscally challenging market. Coupling the two together makes the Interpac 1250 a truly outstanding addition to the sheet converting industry.
Not only are our delivered environmental benefits important but further environmental benefits are possible. With the Interpac 1250 being completely electric, the ability to fully or partially run it from renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind or tide also exist, thus hugely aiding an industry push to net zero.
The board produced by our cold corrugation process is fully recyclable and the process itself produces significantly less waste than a standard corrugator. We have demonstrated this in extended runs at customer sites to be as low as 3%. Sustainability is much more than recycling - much of it is down to not producing waste in the first place.
It is also important to note that Interpac has not achieved this alone. We are very excited that our glue partner, HB Fuller, has also been recognized in the climate category, as they form an important part of producing our board in a sustainable manner. From a sustainability perspective, the Interpac 1250 integrates ESG benefits with business strategy; reduces environmental impact now with additional future opportunities; reduces carbon emissions and helps tackle climate change; helps conserve water; minimizes waste and improves energy and resource efficiency.
The judges certainly recognized the innovation of achieving cold corrugation and the sustainability benefits it will bring to customers across the world as being worthy of becoming a Sustainability Awards finalist. This innovation has also been recognised by the plethora of patents Interpac has been granted and hopefully, the judges will recognize it as being worthy of being a Sustainability Awards winner.
Finally, can you tell us about the ongoing development of your project, for example how your innovation has been received by the industry?
Interpac has now reached a stage where our company is beginning to significantly scale. In addition to our first installation, over the past 12 months we have installed a cold corrugator in Canada and by the end of 2026, will have installed another two machines in the USA; one in Tennessee and one in North Carolina.
At the same time, we have a queue of prospective customers demanding demonstration visits. The industry is receiving our cold corrugator exceptionally positively and there is a long line of early adopters who see the benefits in taking control of their own production and are adapting their business models at a strategic level to take advantage of this new market innovation.
As we grow and develop our customer base, there are further opportunities for increased sustainability impacts. We continue to work with HB Fuller in the EU and in the USA to deliver our proprietary cold corrugating glue and will start to work with customers on integrating renewable energy solutions to help power the corrugator.
Technical product development is also under way and Interpac will shortly begin working on a wider and faster version of our cold corrugator to expand its appeal in the marketplace and to help further reduce the cost/environmental impact per sheet. In this way, we can take cold corrugating into mainstream production and have an ever-increasing impact on industry sustainability and the push to net zero.
The winners of this year’s Sustainability Awards are due to be announced on the 11th November at the Sustainable Packaging Summit, taking place from the 10th-12th November in Utrecht, Netherlands. The Summit mobilizes leaders of the FMCG value chain, policymakers, NGOs, recyclers and investors to collaborate, remove barriers and identify opportunities on the road to sustainable transformation.
