St. Regis achieves another first in bulk tea packaging
View(s):St. Regis Packaging, the Sri Lankan company that patented the Kraft Liner Board Rigid-T-Sack now widely used in bulk packaging of large leaf teas, has become the first paper sack manufacturer to receive the Sri Lanka Standard (SLS) certification for bothKraft Liner Board Sacks and Multiwall Paper Sacks. Under a mandatory requirement of the Colombo Tea Traders Association (CTTA) for bulk packaging, effective from 1st January 2016 all paper tea sacks must carry the SLS logo in order to ensure the quality of teas despatched by producers to the Colombo Tea Auctions, is not adversely affected by moisture and crushing of large leaf teas due to poor quality packaging, according to a company media statement.
In response to the CTTA mandate, the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) developed two standards -SLS1474:2013 for Kraft Liner Board Sacks, and SLS1492:2014 for Multiwall Paper Sacks that are used for the bulk packing of large leaf and small leaf teas respectively.St. Regis Packaging Director Ajith Fernando said his company’s achievement of the SLS standards eliminated the need for further extensions to the January 1, 2016 deadline for the implementation of the CTTA mandate.“One of the factors that has contributed to a decline in the quality of Ceylon Tea is the use of sub-standard paper sacks that do not offer the required moisture barrier,” he said in the statement.
“Given the decline in prices and other challenges facing the tea Industry, producers can no longer afford to continue using such sub-standard packaging, and should insist that their paper sack suppliers have the SLS logo with immediate effect.”In 1996, St. Regis changed a 130 year old tradition by inventing and patenting the Kraft Liner Board Sack, enabling tea producers to replace the costly and environmentally unfriendly plywood chests used up to that point in the packaging of large leaf teas.