Displaying items by tag: James Cropper

James Cropper, one of the world’s most innovative papermakers, has helped Shredhouse, manufacturers of decorative and protective packaging for the gift market, fulfil demand in the wake of the global pandemic.

Shredhouse uses James Cropper’s world-class coloured paper products to produce shredded paper packaging for a range of market sectors including health and beauty, food and drink, crafts and toys and gifts.

Shredhouse, based in Wiltshire, has been well positioned to benefit from the huge shift towards e-commerce sales, and the ever increasing demand for sustainable choices for protective product transit cushioning, as a result of the global pandemic.

With sustainability at the core of James Cropper, the custom made papers supplied to Shredhouse are all FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified, which means the paper products have come from responsibly managed forests or recycled sources that provide environmental, social and economic benefits.  Shredded paper options include local UK  sources of pre- and post-consumer recycled fibre processed via James Cropper’s CupCycling innovation, the world’s first recycling process of its kind dedicated to upcycling take-away coffee cups.

Stefan Pryor, Senior Product Manager for Packaging, says: “The pandemic has fuelled the growth of online retail for many brands which has made the online marketplace incredibly competitive. Brands are increasingly recognising the importance of offering customers a feelgood moment during the unboxing of their online orders but equally, consumers are looking to buy more responsibly so the two things need to work together.

“Whilst the process of shredding paper may appear to be relatively straight-forward, it generates a considerable amount of friction and heat, and so the custom made papers we supply are designed with the application in mind. The chemistry has been carefully considered and our technical team have worked with Shredhouse to ensure that they run trouble-free through the process."

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With its on-site colour lab, James Cropper has the capability and the technology to produce or recreate any colour as required. For example,  to match corporate branding. 

Jon Watton, Business Development Manager for Shredhouse, says: “James Cropper’s expertise and capabilities have been instrumental in helping us fulfil the increased demand for shredded and protective packaging. The pandemic has accelerated some of the major gift packaging trends of the past few years, including a noticeable emphasis on the environmental impact of gift packaging.

“We hope that these efforts towards responsible consumerism will stay and we can continue to work with James Cropper to help brands deliver an experience which meets the needs of the consumer and the planet.”

About James Cropper 

James Cropper is a prestige paper innovator based in the English Lake District, supplying distinct, custom-made paper products to many of the world’s leading luxury brands, art galleries and designers.  

Throughout 176 years of high-quality paper production, the business has been carefully stewarded and nurtured by six generations of the Cropper family and is renowned globally for individual expertise in colour, dedicated responses to the most challenging custom projects and award-winning commitment to the highest standards of sustainability.    

James Cropper is a member of the Paper Cup Recovery & Recycling Group (PCRRG), a cross-industry group that exists to develop collection and recycling opportunities for paper cups and identify and support solutions that sustainably transform used paper cups into a valuable resource. For more information, visit www.pcrrg.uk

About Shredhouse Ltd:

Shredhouse are the premium UK-based manufacturer of shredded paper, NatureFlex and tissue paper for the gift packaging market. Our eco-friendly high-quality packaging is used to enhance products, gift boxes and hampers, enabling them to be presented beautifully and safely. Shredhouse works with customers

Published in European News

James Cropper, one of the world’s most innovative papermakers, has appointed Damian Cook as technical director for its paper division. 

Damian joins the Kendal-based business, which creates some of the world’s most advanced paper products, to lead its technical department. The team is responsible for research and development, field technical operations and product quality.  

Damian CookDamian CookDamian will also oversee the on-site colour lab, which has the capability to match and recreate any colour from any source. The lab holds around 2,000 live shade recipes and an electronic archive of some 200,000 colours. 

With a strong focus on innovation and new product development, Damian brings a wealth of theoretical and practical experience. Having spent the past few years running his own consultancy business, Damian has previously held technical positions at a variety of organisations such as Elmwood Sensors Ltd, Honeywell International Inc, Draeger Safety UK Ltd and Parker-Hannifin Corporation. 

As the business looks to build on its innovations such as the PaperGardTM anti-viral product protection for paper and its Rydal Collection, which includes 100% upcycled paper  options for premium packaging, Damian will be crucial in supporting value growth through new product development. 

James Cropper, managing director, Steve Adams, says: “Damian’s enthusiasm and passion for innovation and new product development is palpable. That, coupled with his experience in project management, research and development and marketing, makes him an ideal leader to help us accelerate our growth and deliver our business strategy effectively.” 

Damian will be based at the Cumbrian papermill in the English Lake District. Damian says: “Joining James Cropper, a world-class papermaker with an exceptional reputation for innovation, is an extremely exciting career move.   

“James Cropper has an incredible ability to pioneer and innovate, having created a series of unique paper and packaging solutions, including CupCycling™, the world’s first recycling process dedicated to upcycling coffee cups. It’s without doubt that this business is one to be excited by and proud to be part of.” 

Damian is also a volunteer business mentor for The Prince’s Trust as well as an accredited associate member of the Association of Coaching.  

About James Cropper   

James Cropper is a prestige paper innovator based in the English Lake District, supplying distinct, custom-made paper products to many of the world’s leading luxury brands, art galleries and designers.   

With over  175 years of high-quality paper production, the business has been carefully stewarded and nurtured by six generations of the Cropper family and is renowned globally for individual expertise in colour and fibre innovation.       

CupCyclingTM  

CupCycling is a technology innovated by James Cropper that extracts the polythene lining of disposable coffee cups, enabling them to be recycled and transformed into high-quality paper, packaging and stationery products. By working with retailers such as McDonald’s and Costa, James Cropper has implemented the infrastructure needed to collect single-use waste products and transform them into beautiful papers and packaging for the likes of Selfridges and Lush. Circular design is at the core of CupCycling. To date, James Cropper has recycled over 150 million coffee cups and has capacity to upcycle 500 million cups per year.   

Read more about the CupCyclingTM story here.  

Published in European News

Having survived fires, The Great Depression, two world wars and now in the midst of a global pandemic, this year marks a milestone 175th anniversary for James Cropper, one of the world’s most innovative papermakers.  

As well as being globally renowned for supplying custom made and specialist paper products to well-known brands such as Selfridges, Burberry and Mulberry, the papermaker is also known for its passion for innovation. 

James Cropper invented the world's first technology to upcycle coffee cups. Since launching CupCycling in 2017, it has upcycled more than 120 million cups and given them a second life as beautiful paper products instead. 

Continuing with its commitment to creating sustainable alternatives, the group launched COLOURFORM, a thermoformed, plastic free, moulded fibre packaging solution meeting the needs of complex and high-end design, while blazing a trail for sustainable luxury packaging. A recent partnership with Maison Ruinart saw a ground-breaking ‘Second Skin’ concept come to life; not only reducing the carbon footprint by 60% by reducing the weight of the packaging by nine times, but it amplifies the aesthetic appeal of the luxury brand too.  

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The company’s Technical Fibre Products division also makes a valuable contribution to the emerging hydrogen economy.  Material from James Cropper can be found in fuel cells for cars, buses, trucks and trains, as well as static power generation. 

With countless examples of innovations spanning three centuries in history, Chairman Mark Cropper, the sixth generation of the Cropper family to be at the helm, puts the business’ longevity down to the fact that It has never stood still.  

Mark says: “Surviving the impact of world events outside of our control for nearly two centuries is not about looking to the past, but rather to the future. We have always come up with new ideas which started with coloured papermaking, 175 years ago.  

“We made use of dyes and chemicals which were just emerging to create samples of coloured paper. At the time it was world leading and we’ve not stopped creating exciting things since. 

“This is why, in the midst of a global pandemic, we have continued to push our capabilities. With hygiene being front-of-mind for government, business leaders and the public alike, we put our papers with PaperGard antimicrobial technology to the test against a strain of Coronavirus, with favourable results. This product allows paper products exposed to high touch volumes to in effect ‘self-sanitise’, without affecting the appearance or performance of the paper itself.” 

The business is still based at its location on the edge of the English Lake District where it all began in 1845, and most recently launched the Rydal Packaging Collection; a premium range of papers that can be made from 100% post-consumer waste. The latest range aims to address the demand from brands who are looking to demonstrate the positive social and environmental impact of their products. 

Mark says: “While we are all ready to hear more good news, we are realistic about the fact that our 175th year has been and will continue to be challenging. While we can learn from other key moments from our history, such as the devastating fires in 1886 and 1903, world wars and stock-market crashes, we also recognise that each is different and requires a unique response. 

“Looking forward, our focus will be on how we grow our way out of the current economic situation in a way that respects our environment, people and communities like never before.” 

About James Cropper  

James Cropper is a prestige paper innovator based in the English Lake District, supplying distinct, custom-made paper products to many of the world’s leading luxury brands, art galleries and designers.    

Throughout 175 years of high-quality paper production, the business has been carefully stewarded and nurtured by six generations of the Cropper family and is renowned globally for individual expertise in colour and fibre innovation.        

Published in European News

For more and more brands, being able to demonstrate the social and environmental impact of their products is becoming a pre-requisite.  With this in mind, specialist papermaker James Cropper has launched a new collection of papers for premium packaging, including an option with the ultimate 100% post-consumer waste recycled fibre.

The Rydal Packaging Collection, whose name is inspired by a small village and water in the Lake District, best known as the home of the poet William Wordsworth, addresses the need for sustainable papers for retail packaging that do not compromise quality or beauty.  As well as offering 100% post-consumer waste recycled, the range also includes options for 40% post-consumer waste recycled and 100% fresh fibre from responsible forestry sources.

The recycled qualities in the collection include James Cropper’s innovative CupCycling™ fibre, sourced from used coffee cups. With 175 years of papermaking heritage, James Cropper created the world’s first technology to upcycle used coffee cups. This unique post-consumer fibre stream gives a second life to a valuable resource and is designed with circular economy principles at the core.

Tricia Hartmann, packaging lead at James Cropper comments, “While beauty and functionality have always been expected of luxury products, today’s consumers also insist they are environmentally and socially responsible.

“Those same high standards applied to the product itself, now also extend to the entire supply chain, including the packaging. The Rydal Packaging Collection was created to directly answer this need while safeguarding the beauty of premium paper and ensuring a variety of application possibilities for brands.”

Engineered to provide a natural and tactile feel, the new collection is suitable for folding boxes, shopping bags and box covering applications and ensures outstanding print performance and converting characteristics.

Currently available for production and to order in large format sheets for sample dummies and print tests, the collection includes three shades of white and three shades of black. There is also an option for bespoke colours and textural finishes as part of James Cropper’s Tailor Made service.

For those brands wanting the added assurance of antimicrobial product protection, James Cropper’s innovative PaperGard silver ion technology can be included for all Rydal packaging options.

Published in European News

With hygiene being front-of-mind for government, business leaders and the public alike, James Cropper’s papers with PaperGard antimicrobial technology have been tested against Feline Coronavirus, with favourable results.

Recent studies show Coronaviruses can remain viable on metal, glass, wood, textiles, plastic and paper surfaces from several hours to a number of days[1].  Whilst the viability of Coronaviruses is not strong on paper compared to other surfaces, with in-built anti-microbial protection the level of risk of cross-contamination from people’s hands is significantly reduced.

James Cropper is expert at applying silver ion technology to paper, with antimicrobial papers having been a part of the product portfolio since 2006. PaperGard offers product protection for the lifetime of the paper, incorporating Biomaster® antimicrobial technology from the UK’s leading additive specialist, Addmaster.

The technology, when applied to paper, is known to be highly effective against pathogens such as MRSA and E-coli and following rigorous testing by an independent laboratory, its viral efficacy against Feline Coronavirus has been proven. In testing, the PaperGard protected papers were proven effective at reducing the viability of the viral strain by over 95% in only two hours.

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Addmaster regulatory affairs manager Lesley Taylor explains: “Feline Coronavirus and Covid-19 are members of the Coronaviridae family of viruses which cause a broad spectrum of animal and human disease.

“This group of viruses are enveloped and rely on a protective lipid coating and are amongst the easiest types of virus to deactivate. Biomaster has yet to be tested against Covid-19 on product surfaces and currently there is not yet a suitable method validated for Covid-19, however the result clearly demonstrates the antiviral efficacy of silver ion technology against a member of the Coronaviridae family.”

Coronaviruses are relatively easy to destroy with simple disinfectants which break the delicate envelope that surrounds the tiny microbe. However, these topical sanitising products are only effective for a short period before cleaning needs to re-occur, and not always practical on paper products. The silver ion treatment in PaperGard is incorporated into the paper during manufacture; it cannot be removed with any amount of wear and tear. It becomes an integral part of the material.

Richard Bracewell, marketing and technical director at James Cropper comments, “This innovation addresses demand for cleaner surfaces. PaperGard allows paper products exposed to high touch volumes to in effect ‘self-sanitise’, without affecting the appearance or performance of the paper itself. 

“The silver ions present within the paper continually work to prevent the growth of the micro-organisms, effectively reducing contamination levels on the surface.”

Whilst PaperGard has been regularly used for the production of medical and healthcare documents this technology can be applied across the portfolio of paper products manufactured by James Cropper, including papers and boards for premium packaging or greetings cards that are subject to a lot of handling.

How PaperGard works:

  • Silver ions bind to the cell wall of the micro-organism; preventing growth
  • The silver ions interrupt enzyme production; stopping the microbe from producing energy
  • Silver ions interrupt the cell's DNA; preventing DNA replication and new cell formation
  • This process does not allow the micro-organisms to develop any resistance

[1] New England Journal of Medicine: telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/does-coronavirus-live-different-surfaces/

Published in European News

James Cropper, one of the world’s most innovative papermakers, remains operational and vows to protect its staff and customers, during the current Coronavirus pandemic.

The Kendal based, family business, is continuing to manufacture high-quality paper and highly advanced non-woven material products for a wide range of customers, including many in the packaging and medical industries.

In the light of the Coronavirus pandemic the business has adapted its operation processes in order to fulfil customer orders and field incoming enquiries, while also moving swiftly to protect its 600 employees and the wider community.

2018 02 27 091901Steve Adams, Managing Director, James Cropper Paper, says: “By adhering closely to government guidelines, the Kendal mill is operating with a number of new measures in place to protect the safety of our staff and the local community. 

“Anyone who can work at home is doing so. The majority of our office staff are now working from home, including the sales and marketing, technical, finance and human resources teams. Most of those still on site are directly involved in or supporting the manufacturing and distributing of our products.

“We are limiting the number of people on site and adhering to strict social distancing throughout the mill. In the occasional cases whereby staff need to work closer than two metres apart, they are provided with highly effective FFP3 masks with respirators.”

To ensure further safeguarding, 42 additional hand sanitising stations, disposable gloves, alcohol wipes, disinfectant sprays and other cleaning materials have been made accessible throughout the mill, with clear guidelines about when people should use them.

The procedure for incoming deliveries has also been changed to ensure interaction between drivers and staff is minimised.

Steve added: “We are monitoring the situation closely and following advice provided by government and Public Health England. Should we need to, we have plans in place to make further changes to our operations.

“We’d like to thank our staff for their support and take this opportunity to reassure our loyal customers, who are also navigating their way through this difficult time, that we’re still operating and here to support them.”

Published in European News

James Cropper, one of the world’s most innovative papermakers, has appointed Tricia Hartmann as its first global luxury packaging lead for Speciality Papers.

Tricia joins to build awareness of James Cropper’s expertise in the luxury sector across the international market. With strong technical expertise in printing, paper and packaging, she will be responsible for the development of the luxury packaging offer; driving the take-up of the business’ bespoke services including Tailor Made papers and services, through growing its international partnerships with luxury brands.

Tricia Hartmann Tricia Hartmann James Cropper’s Tailor Made service combines world-leading colour-matching and sustainable fibre innovation expertise with post-production capabilities such as embossing, varnishing and laminating. It not only offers brands such as Burberry and Hallmark high-quality and beautiful unique papers, it also enables them to embed purpose driven credentials and communicate brand DNA and story through their packaging. 

Joining from Arjowiggins Creative Papers, Tricia previously spent ten years driving business development in luxury packaging across Europe and Asia.

Nick Barnes, Director at James Cropper said: “Tricia’s extensive knowledge of the international luxury packaging market and her passion for sustainability make her the perfect fit to drive forward our expansion on the international stage.

“We look forward to drawing on her insight and experience to continue to strengthen our offering to luxury brands across the globe.”

Speaking on her appointment Tricia Hartmann said: “Thanks to its position as a leading innovator in the luxury paper and packaging space for almost two centuries, James Cropper has firmly established itself as the leading solution to many international luxury brands, providing the paper for their shopping bags and their boxes.

“As we continue to see the drive towards a circular economy reaching brands and consumers in the luxury space, the demand for sustainable solutions like James Cropper’s CupCyclingTM and COLOURFORM is ever increasing. And the global market is responding as such.

“It’s an exciting time to be joining a business with such a great legacy of innovation in sustainability, and to be a part of its journey to becoming a leading player in the global luxury market”.

Tricia is based in Paris and will be growing James Cropper’s global team with a focus on partnerships in the premium packaging space across Europe, Asia and the USA. 

Published in European News
Monday, 24 February 2020 08:22

James Cropper steps into Pantherella partnership

Britain’s finest sockmaker Pantherella has partnered with bespoke papermaker James Cropper to launch new packaging for its luxury sock range that speaks to its ‘Eco Luxe’ credentials and new brand identity.

Having first opened its factory doors in Leicester over 80 years ago, at the time trading as ‘Midlands Hosiery’, Pantherella now supplies more than 750,000 pairs of socks every year to leading luxury retailers and department stores around the globe. Timeless designs, luxurious yarns - from filament silk to Sea Island cotton - and fine-linked toe seams make Pantherella socks the finest in the world.

The partnership with James Cropper was developed following Pantherella’s first rebrand since 1937. Working with Michael Johnson of Johnson Banks, one of the most highly respected graphic designers in the UK, Pantherella landed on a refined colour palette of black and white. This brand palette became the driver behind the beautiful packaging designed and created using paper from James Cropper’s flagship ‘Vanguard’ range and can be found across all of the Pantherella sock collections.

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Speaking on the partnership, Jamie Bartle, James Cropper’s creative design lead said: “We’re delighted to be working with this brilliant and much-loved British brand. Pantherella shares many of our values at James Cropper including a strong commitment to our heritage, cutting edge design and sustainable innovation.

“The new sock rider ticket showcases the capability of our flagship paper, Vanguard, and enables Pantherella to communicate how luxury can be achieved through simple and elegant design cues.”

On the new packaging, Justin Hall, chief executive of Pantherella said: “As a luxury brand on stage at some of the world’s most iconic stores, our packaging needs to marry our philosophy of Provenance, Design and Quality. James Cropper’s Vanguard range offered us the best of both worlds; premium quality paper, with the sustainability credentials our stakeholders now want to see us embracing.

“The new packaging will play a key role in communicating the story behind our rebrand to consumers, in which we want to strike a balance between the old and the new.”

James Cropper’s Vanguard collection offers smooth uncoated papers and boards available in a wide range of pastel and intense colours.

About James Cropper

James Cropper is a prestige paper innovator based in the English Lake District, supplying distinct, custom-made paper products to many of the world’s leading luxury brands, art galleries and designers.

Throughout 174 years of high-quality paper production, the business has been carefully stewarded and nurtured by six generations of the Cropper family and is renowned globally for individual expertise in colour, dedicated responses to the most challenging custom projects and award-winning commitment to the highest standards of sustainability.

James Cropper is a member of the Paper Cup Recovery & Recycling Group (PCRRG), a cross-industry group that exists to develop collection and recycling opportunities for paper cups and identify and support solutions that sustainably transform used paper cups into a valuable resource. For more information, visit www.pcrrg.uk

About Pantherella

Established as the finest English sock maker since 1937, Pantherella has long been the choice of undeniably stylish men and women around the world. Made from the most luxurious fibres, Pantherella socks are made using a specialised knitting machine in their fifth-generation family owned factory in Leicester. Featuring their trademark fine-linked toe seam, a technique Pantherella is globally recognised for; quality and attention to detail are at the heart of the brand. With a core philosophy of provenance, design and craftsmanship, every Pantherella customer receives the finest excellence.

Please view the latest look books and brochures here: www.pantherella.com/brochure

Published in European News

Blending technological solutions with a growing eco-conscious consumer mind-set, COLOURFORM™ is the latest packaging innovation from the James Cropper group, which is making waves in the packaging industry. 

COLOURFORM™ is thermoformed, plastic-free, natural fibre packaging.  Easily recyclable and biodegradable, it is available in customised shapes, colours and textures. It has been developed in response to the needs of premium brands who want to offer a quality, unique and sustainable customer experience.  

To help brands realise the capabilities of COLOURFORM™, the team, including the most experienced craftsmen, colour scientists, engineers and sustainable innovators in the industry, developed Poise to inspire sustainable innovation in packaging. 

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Craig Marshall, COLOURFORM™ managing director, says: “As Poise demonstrates, the technology behind COLOURFORM™ allows us to challenge conventional packaging shapes and integrate a wide range of sophisticated functionality and features, including hinges and clasps for inner and outer packaging. With precision embossing and meshing capabilities, we can also build in patterns, imagery and typography which contribute to the brand narrative. You can even protect your signature colour with our colour matching expertise - we can match anything a customer brings to us. Every project we deliver is unique, making the possibilities endless.” 

COLOURFORM™ uses 100% natural renewable wood fibres from sustainably managed forests and high-quality recycled fibres from its own world-class reclaimed fibre plant, giving new life to waste from a variety of sources including used coffee cups.  

Craig Marshall continues: “There’s a new dawn of opportunity afoot for brands and we want to show them what it looks like. Packaging now needs to be both environmentally friendly and beautiful; the challenge for brands is to deliver against future thinking in order to meet consumer expectations. 

“Our goal is to innovate. COLOURFORM™ exists as a direct response to the needs of the market – it reconciles the need for sustainable packaging with the desire for premium and bespoke aesthetics. 

“We recently worked with a futurologist who predicted that as consumers mount pressure on brands to deliver sustainable alternatives, we will see a very rapid change in consumer behaviour.  Consumers will actively avoid products packaged in materials which cannot be easily recycled, or end their life in landfill. COLOURFORM™ is a great example of a step change that we should start to expect as standard.” 

Published in European News
Thursday, 19 September 2019 21:25

Millions more coffee cups destined for James Cropper

Earlier this week, the winners of The Cup Fund by Hubbub and Starbucks were announced at a launch event in London. James Cropper is proud to have been selected as the recycling partner on four of these projects. 

An estimated seven million coffee cups from cities across the country including Bristol, York, Gloucester and London, will be headed to the Lake District as a result. The coffee cups, collected by the Bristol Waste Company, Forge Recycling, Better Bankside, Team London Bridge and Paper Round recycling schemes, will be given a second life using James Cropper’s CupCyclingTMfacility.

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As a perfect example of circular design, the cups will be transformed into beautiful packaging, paper and an array of stationery – giving businesses the chance to go green when it comes to paper supplies.

Richard Burnett, market development manager at James Cropper, commented:“We are thrilled to have been selected as a partner on these innovative projects. Each project will have a significant impact on how Britons recycle their coffee cups, by providing both education and recycling facilities to the public.

“We have recycled over 100 million coffee cups at our CupCyclingTM facility already but have the capacity to for up to 500 million per year; being part of these initiatives will enable us to give more used coffee cups a second life as premium paper and packaging products.

“This is a huge step forward in creating value from the used coffee cup waste stream, and we’re delighted to be part of it.”

The winners of The Cup Fund will commence their projects from September 2019, with James Cropper ready to receive bales of used coffee cups immediately.

About James Cropper 

James Cropper is a prestige paper innovator based in the English Lake District, supplying distinct, custom-made paper products to many of the world’s leading luxury brands, art galleries and designers.  

Throughout 174 years of high-quality paper production, the business has been carefully stewarded and nurtured by six generations of the Cropper family and is renowned globally for individual expertise in colour, dedicated responses to the most challenging custom projects and award-winning commitment to the highest standards of sustainability.   

James Cropper is a member of the Paper Cup Recovery & Recycling Group (PCRRG), a cross-industry group that exists to develop collection and recycling opportunities for paper cups and identify and support solutions that sustainably transform used paper cups into a valuable resource. For more information, visit www.pcrrg.uk

Published in European News
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