Ericsson pushed its sustainability efforts, unveiling a new packaging approach for its remote radio products and partnering with operators Deutsche Telekom and Swisscom for initial trials.

The Swedish vendor stated the project is designed to reduce the environmental impact of its packaging while targeting better efficiency in production, logistics and disposal, along with eliminating the risk of contributing to ocean plastic pollution.

Essentially, the company is transitioning from oil-based plastics to wood fibre materials for its packaging inserts. The approach is fully recyclable and reduces the total plastic content from 20 per cent to less than 1 per cent.

Ericsson explained it worked with two suppliers to develop plastic free packaging, which required an innovative approach as it will be used to ship heavy-duty electronics products typically weighing 24kg to 36kg.

In addition to testing the approach with Deutsche Telekom and Swisscom, Ericsson plans to work with the operators to expand its use to more products and eventually roll it out to more customers.

Mats Scharp, head of sustainability at Ericsson, said packaging is part of its supply chain target of halving emissions by 2030, adding removing plastics contributes to wider climate and environmental goals.

“The Ericsson design team has shown that it is possible to remove plastics from packaging for complex and heavy telecom gear while maintaining essential product protection.”