St. Regis Packaging receives SLS certification
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 Kraft Liner Board Sacks and
Multiwall Paper Sacks.
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SLSI, Director General, Dr L. N. Senaweera presents the SLS
certificates to Director, St. Regis Packaging, Ajith
Fernando. |
Under a mandatory need of the Colombo Tea Traders Association (CTTA)
for bulk packaging, effective from January 1, 2016 all paper tea sacks
must carry the SLS logo to ensure the quality of teas dispatched by
producers to the Colombo Tea Auctions, are not adversely affected by
moisture and crushing of large leaf teas due to poor quality packaging.
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.
From January 1, 2016, all paper sack manufacturers have to display
the SLS logo and the manufacturer's name on tea sacks supplied to tea
factories for packaging of tea for the weekly auction in Colombo.
Director General, SLSI, Dr L. N. Senaweera said, "Conformity of
products by St. Regis Packaging with the stringent quality standards
needed for the SLS certification in respect of both types of bags used
in the bulk packaging of Ceylon Tea, is timely in the context of the
challenges faced by the tea industry."
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 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. |
