The Paper Lid Company and Metsä Board collaborate on a paperboard lid made from dispersion barrier board, which it claims is “fully recyclable”.
The companies say that, when used as for takeaway beverage cups, the lid is suitable for both hot and cold drinks. Using The Paper Lid Company’s new technology, the paperboard can apparently be formed into the desired shape for customers.
The one-piece lid is then able to click into place on the cup and reportedly offers performance that is comparable to traditional plastic lids. In addition, the companies claim that the carbon footprint of the paperboard lid is approximately 50% lower than that of a plastic lid.
According to Ilkka Harju, packaging servicers director EMEA and APAC at Metsä Board: “Reducing the volume of plastic waste is a critically important issue, and together with our partners we are continuously developing and testing new innovative solutions that have circular-economy thinking at their core.”
Matti Salonoja, founder of the The Paper Lid Company, adds: “Paperboard made from renewable fresh fibre is, by its nature, a sustainable raw material.
“By combining our expertise with Metsä Board’s we have been able to create a new solution that has tremendous potential to change the takeaway cup market.”
Metsä Board’s other innovations for the food and food service industries include MetsäBoard Prime FBB EB, a plastic-free paperboard that has a medium barrier against moisture and grease, and which can be recycled in paper or paperboard streams. In 2018, Metsä Board’s paperboard cup design, Lidloc, which uses a standard cup structure that then folds and locks into an integrated lid, was given the Red Dot Award for design excellence and creative achievement.
The Paper Lid Company says its production equipment in Masku, Finland, is primed to begin full-scale production of the new paperboard lid developed in partnership with Metsä Board.
