Pets Deli - High-quality pet food in sustainable packaging

The products have a special focus on the quality of the meat used and the other ingredients used in the food. They also make sure that the composition of the food meets the needs and try to meet the individual needs and wishes of dogs and cats through their wide range of products. But it's not just about the content. Pets Deli has set itself the goal of making the packaging used even more sustainable and efficient. At the same time, the packaging should create a special brand experience for the demanding clientele. To meet these challenges, the company has teamed up with packaging specialist Smurfit Kappa, which has also been able to optimise the pet food specialist's warehouse processes.

Pets Deli sees the diet of animals in a similar way to that of humans. Those who constantly eat fast food run the risk of developing obesity and nutrient deficiencies. This ultimately leads to illnesses, allergies and costly visits to the vet. Although dogs and cats are partially or largely carnivores, conventional pet food contains only a small amount of meat. This is the only reason why supermarkets can offer pet food containing meat for very low prices.

At Pets Deli, the meat content ranges between 60 and 80 per cent. The company attaches great importance to the use of high-quality muscle meat. Fresh fruit and vegetables, herbs, rich oils and healthy superfoods such as quinoa, spirulina and chia seeds are also used. The essential minerals and nutrients are added to the food via natural ingredients. Whenever possible, local feed components are used to support the local economy and avoid long transport routes. In addition, with "Pets Deli Green", the company creates a meat-free, sustainable and innovative food alternative in the usual premium quality to help reduce the carbon footprint.

Pets Deli also uses renewable energy and automated light sources in the office. The water filtration system is designed to eliminate plastic bottles altogether. Online meetings replace travel. The management and staff team is encouraged to use public transport and avoid travelling by car or plane whenever possible.

Packaging optimisation in the mail order business is a key to more environmental protection

The next challenge Pets Deli faced was in the area of packaging and related processes. Especially in the area of e-commerce, the company is growing very fast, which was also helped by the Corona years, when many people decided to get a pet and also liked to order the food online.

As Pets Deli sets high standards for its products, sustainable packaging should also reflect this to the outside world. To achieve this, the company called on the expertise of Smurfit Kappa, the specialist for paper-based packaging solutions. Boris Maschmann, CEO of Smurfit Kappa in the DACH region, explains: "The analysis of the processes and materials showed us together that there is potential for more sustainability as well as potential savings in materials and costs. In addition, the brand experience can be conveyed more strongly than before through the packaging. Our proposed solution meets all three requirements."

As a first step, Smurfit Kappa's development and design team analysed the packaging used to date and all packaging-related processes and procedures within the company. The first activity from the analysis was that Pets Deli has consistently switched to recycled paper-based packaging material. Often when companies switch to recycled paper, they fear that the packaging will not match the value of the product. Smurfit Kappa was able to quickly dispel this concern. You can't tell the new packaging is made from recycled material. Smurfit Kappa's 100% recyclable paper and cardboard packaging material also comes from sustainable forestry and is FSC® certified.

Enabling growth through process optimisation in the warehouse

Smurfit Kappa was able to identify a particularly large potential for optimisation in the Pets Deli warehouse in Ludwigsfelde, south of Berlin. Most recently, cartons in the high six-figure range were placed there by hand before being filled with goods. Following an analysis ("Smart Scan") of the customer's supply chain, Smurfit Kappa proposed a machine-based solution as an alternative. This envisaged that the five carton formats required for the goods deliveries would be erected by machine in the future. The design of the new solution was adapted accordingly, so that this automatic erection and bottom gluing became possible. The staff only needs to load the machine with the carton goods delivered on pallets. The work focus is now on filling the cartons with the goods.

To make this solution possible, however, the right machine had to be found promptly. There were machines available on the market that could have erected all the carton formats required for Pets Deli with five magazines. However, the construction time was 18 months or more. It was a favourable circumstance that Smurfit Kappa had a suitable machine available from its machine range that could accommodate only one format, but the changeover time to another format was only about five minutes. Pets Deli was interested. Now the modalities still had to be arranged. Here Smurfit Kappa offered a combined supply contract with a three-year term, which Pets Deli accepted.

Killing several birds with one stone

With this solution, the pet food supplier has killed several birds with one stone: the high growth-related pressure on the packing staff could be reduced. The focus is now on filling the cartons. Furthermore, the processes have been optimised so that one format runs through as long as possible before switching to another format. The transport volume of the carton goods delivered on pallets has also been reduced by adapting the filling of goods more precisely to the carton format, which saves material and costs in the double-digit percentage range. A successful solution all round.

The new packaging solution from Smurfit Kappa has convinced the managers at Pets Deli. The changes in packaging allow the company to sustainably reduce its environmental footprint, and the high-quality external printing ensures a special brand experience along the entire customer journey. Andreas Hodde, Pets Deli site manager Ludwigsfelde: "Smurfit Kappa helped us a lot with the conversion of our packaging and the associated processes. It is very important to us that customers recognise and value our sustainable orientation as a holistic corporate approach."