The polystyrene box becomes cardboard with mineral coating
Selected among the 11 Zero Waste Products 2025 and awarded joint overall winner, the new solution confirms the value of the collaboration between the two companies and its concrete contribution to the development of more sustainable fish packaging.
Brescia, December 2, 2025 – Qwarzo S.p.A. and DS Smith, an International Paper Company, announce the development of the first fish box made of coated cardboard with Qwarzo® technology. This jointly patented solution introduces a sustainable alternative to traditional polystyrene crates to the fish industry. The new solution was selected among the 11 Zero Waste Products 2025 and awarded joint overall winner. The new box, made of FSC-certified cardboard and treated with an invisible mineral coating, guarantees resistance to water, humidity, grease, and temperature changes, while maintaining the material's complete recyclability in the paper supply chain.
The collaboration is the result of the combination of Qwarzo's expertise in mineral coating chemistry and DS Smith, an International Paper Company's industrial leadership in sustainable fiber packaging. DS Smith, an International Paper Company, a leading global player in the industry, has contributed its production capacity and extensive experience in paper converting to the project, enabling the creation of an industrially scalable solution compliant with cold chain standards.
The goal is to offer seafood supply chain operators a solution that meets the needs of fresh product protection, logistical challenges, and growing regulatory requirements regarding food contact material safety and plastic reduction. The box, already pilot-tested by customers in key sectors, has demonstrated performance in line with industry requirements, eliminating the plastic component and PFAS normally found in traditional coatings.
The new solution simplifies disposal operations and reduces the environmental impact of containers used in the handling of fresh fish, a sector that currently makes extensive use of expanded polystyrene, a complex material to manage in the post-consumer phase.
This collaboration represents a strategic step for the entire food packaging industry. With DS Smith, an International Paper Company, we share the belief that innovation must be concrete, scalable, and capable of generating an immediate impact on supply chains. Our mineral technology was created with the aim of overcoming the limitations of traditional plastic coatings, offering fiber materials the resistance and protection properties previously only achieved through solutions containing plastic or PFAS. Applying it to a complex packaging solution like a fish box demonstrates its industrial maturity and its ability to replace polystyrene in a sector where safety, performance, and circularity must coexist without compromise. This is Luca Panzeri, CTO and Founder of Qwarzo.
This collaboration with Qwarzo represents a decisive step towards the sustainable transformation of food packaging. As a global leader in fiber solutions, we believe that innovation must combine performance, safety, and circularity. The new fish box demonstrates that it is possible to replace polystyrene with a recyclable cardboard alternative, without compromising on fresh product protection or compliance with cold chain standards.
Our commitment is to continue developing solutions that help our customers reduce their environmental impact and respond to growing regulatory demands, making a concrete contribution to a waste-free future.” says Matteo Saini, Innovation Manager, International Paper Cluster at DS Smith, an International Paper Company.
Qwarzo and DS Smith, an International Paper Company, presented the project and the new product at the awards ceremony held at the Zero Waste Research Center. The box was officially selected as one of 11 Zero Waste products for 2025 and joint overall winner, a recognition that confirms the value of the collaboration between the two companies and the effectiveness of the developed solution in promoting the circular economy and sustainable alternatives within the seafood packaging sector.
Qwarzo
Qwarzo is an Italian SME based in Brescia, Italy, focused on innovation and sustainable, high-performance alternatives to plastic coatings. Its core technology, a silica-based mineral coating, can be applied to paper, fabrics, metals, and other materials, making them resistant to water, grease, and heat, without compromising their recyclability or compostability. The coating is invisible, odorless, and tasteless. Qwarzo® enhances FSC® and PEFC® certified paper by providing barrier properties. The company has received numerous national and international awards for its ability to innovate sustainably. It was a finalist at the 2024 Avant-Garde Awards in the Innovative Materials category, an initiative promoted by Packaging Première and PCD Milan, and won the Innovation Award at Sigep 2024 – in collaboration with Gondola Packaging – for Qup, the first paper ice cream cup with Qwarzo® coating. In September 2024, it won the Tocco Future Material Award in the Future Materials Visionary category for its pioneering vision and contribution to material circularity. Recent recognitions also include the title of "Innovation Leaders 2025" awarded by Il Corriere della Sera and Statista, along with the S.E.M.I. Innovation Award and the Zero Waste Product of the Year award for its paper hook for agriculture. In previous years, Zero Waste Italy and the Zero Waste Research Center had already awarded Qwarzo® the Product of the Year mention in 2022 and 2023, respectively for the coffee stirrers and for the paper cutlery with Qwarzo® coating. In 2019, the company received the prestigious Ocean Plastic Innovation Challenge, sponsored by National Geographic and Sky Ocean Ventures, for its contribution to reducing single-use plastic globally. Finally, on November 5, 2025, Qwarzo was recognized at Ecomondo as one of the 10 most virtuous Italian companies promoting sustainable development in the circular economy, receiving the Sustainable Development Award in the SME – Circular Economy category. Website: www.qwarzo.com
DS Smith, an International Paper Company
DS Smith
DS Smith, a multinational paper company, is a leading global supplier of sustainable fiber-based packaging, supported by recycling and paper production. The company plays a central role in the value chain of various sectors, including e-commerce, consumer goods, food & beverage, and industrial products. It has a purpose-driven sustainability strategy, "Redefining Packaging for a Changing World," and is committed to leading the industry-wide transition to a circular economy while offering sustainable circular solutions to customers. Within this mandate, the focus is on replacing plastic, eliminating carbon from supply chains, providing recycling solutions, innovation, and significant investment in research and development, including alternative materials and fibers. The company adopts a progressive approach to servicing and optimizing sustainable supply chains, a renowned and customized fourteen-day "Box-to-Box" operating model, and a unique approach based on circular design metrics. It is a proactive member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and the original DS Smith box manufacturing business was started by the Smith family, based in London, in the 1940s. Further information is available at http://www.dssmith.com
International Paper
International Paper (NYSE: IP; LSE: IPC) is a global leader in sustainable packaging solutions. Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, and with its EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) headquarters in London, it employs more than 65,000 people and serves customers worldwide with operations in over thirty countries. Together with our customers, we make the world safer and more productive, one sustainable packaging solution at a time. Net sales for 2024 were $18.6 billion. In 2025, International Paper acquired DS Smith, creating an industry-leading company focused on the attractive and growing North America and EMEA regions. Further information is available at http://www.internationalpaper.com
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