AR Packaging and Stora Enso have launched a gas-tight pressed board tray to reduce plastic in chilled food packaging.
Image: The paperboard trays developed for modified atmosphere packaging for chilled food. Photo: courtesy of CC Pack.
The new pressed board tray packaging provides a cost-efficient and sustainable alternative to plastic trays.
The product is majorly made of renewable materials from Stora Enso and features attractive look and feel of paper, Stora Enso said.
Stora Enso Consumer Board Division Innovations vice-president Henna Paakkonen-Alvim said: “We are pleased to see a new renewable packaging solution entering the market as a result of this cooperation.
“The new tray with its high renewable material content is a sustainable packaging option for chilled food products, a market segment that has been dominated by plastic so far.
“This is a breakthrough and will certainly gain high interest among food companies who are looking for more eco-friendly alternatives.”
Produced with new tray pressing technology, the trays are made with material which is barrier coated board Trayforma by Stora Enso.
The board trays are supplied together with a matching lidding material, which offer a safe seal and a barrier.
CC Pack converts the trays while the lidding material comes from Flextrus. The two firms are members of AR Packaging and based in Sweden.
The new trays are currently under trials by AR Packaging with several major European chilled food producers.
CC Pack managing director Åke Larsson said: “The increasing demand for sustainable packaging has led to an intensive search for a gas-tight board trays.
“We have invested lots of effort to develop this new packaging solution together with Stora Enso. The shape of the tray is optimised to ensure tight packs, which gives a shelf life up to 18 days, depending on the product packed.
“We thereby meet the needs for a wide range of chilled food products, such as fresh meat and chicken, processed meat, cheese and ready meals etc.”
Stora Enso is engaged in providing renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden constructions and paper.