Speaking with WorldCargo News at Intermodal Asia 2018 last month, the 30+ year veteran of the rubber and plastics industry said: “It is clear that our EPIC [ecological plastic in containers] floors are viable and right for the industry, especially at this time, when concerns over the health of the global environment are increasing.

“Our product is sustainable for many reasons. It will further reduce the use of tropical hardwood that is needed for plywood flooring, and it is a friendlier material to work with, as both plywood and bamboo require glue and resins.  The recycled EPIC floors also have a comparable price to these other materials.” 

Kjellner also said that, after some redesigning, his EPIC floors will be as light or lighter than conventional box floors. The floors are extremely durable, as they do not absorb moisture, and are generally easier to maintain, repair and 
keep clean. They also keep their original properties during the floor’s lifetime. “We have spoken to many users of containers, including ocean carriers and lessors, and the response has been positive,” added Kjellner.

But he admitted that, despite all of the advantages, he still faced challenges in getting the flooring material accepted by a very conservative industry, and a container manufacturing sector that is also reluctant to change its ways.

He explained: “There is plenty of plastic around that can be recycled, but finding manufacturers to use the material for the floors, that’s a different matter. Several box builders have their own bamboo plantations, and supply is integrated into their production schedules. They have production lines that are fully geared to the use of plywood and bamboo for the floors, and another line would be needed for EPIC, as it does take a bit longer to produce the container.” 

Kjellner plans to build 150 test containers this year. “We have verbal agreements in place with several liner companies, and will finalise arrangements in the coming months,” he said. The executive has been working on the use of recycled plastics as a flooring material for containers for more than four years. He has worked with a major liner company and SP Extrusion A/S, which is part of Denmark’s biggest plastic company, SP Group. To date, 300 containers have been equipped with recycled plastic floors. 

SP itself has machinery and systems in place to produce enough material for 50,000 TEU a year. However, there is enough suitable recycled plastic in Europe to equip all current container production.

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This complete item is approximately 500 words in length, and appeared in the April 2018 issue of WorldCargo News, on page 12. To access this issue download the PDF here.