Finnish dairy products manufacturer Valio has partnered with pulp, paper and forest products manufacturer Stora Enso to trial biocomposite lids for its crème fraiche and quark tubs.
Image: The biocomposite lid developed for Valio’s crème fraiche and quark tubs. Photo: courtesy of Valio Oy.
The partners are planning to use the reusable biocomposite lids this fall at Valio’s sales demonstrations.
The pilot project aims to assess the effectiveness of the new packaging material when combined with a traditional food package, thus helping in reducing the food waste.
Valio packaging development head Tanja Virtanen-Leppä said: “We were the first in the world to start using fully plant-based one-litre milk cartons in 2015. Last year, we converted all of our 250 million gable-top milk, yoghurt, cream, and sour milk packages to fully plant-based ones.
“These packages are a part of a larger concept where Valio is aiming towards carbon-neutral milk, i.e. resetting milk’s carbon footprint in 2035. We continue to think about new package innovation possibilities that we could try out and implement.”
The new reusable lid is made using Stora Enso’s DuraSense, a material made of wood fibre. DuraSense can be used to replace over half of fossil-based plastics and help in reducing a product’s carbon footprint by up to 60% compared to conventional plastic.
Virtanen-Leppä added: “With this pilot project, we want to encourage people to take small concrete actions to prevent food waste. For instance, the leftover crème fraiche sauce for fish, made on a cabin weekend, is now easy to pack away in a cooler with this lid instead of throwing the leftovers away. This new lid can be reused after it’s been washed.”
In June 2019, Stora Enso reported that Young people choose cartonboard packaging over plastic.
According to a survey commissioned by Stora Enso and Valio, renewability of cartonboard packaging is important, especially for young people who are very concerned about climate change.
Four out of five of respondents said they were worried about climate change, with half saying they were very worried about it.
Stora Enso is engaged in providing renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden constructions and paper.