Huhtamaki is launching Futuro, a plastic-free carton for cooked coloured eggs, across markets in Europe.
This innovation is especially relevant to the German market, where hard-boiled eggs or “Bunte Eier” remain a popular snack and an addition to lunch or dinner, with more than 80 million packs sold yearly. According to the company, hard-boiled eggs are currently regularly packed and sold in plastic packaging for sale in supermarkets
“This is a step forward in helping our customers meet their sustainability targets and drive a circular economy. By simply switching to our fibre-based Futuro cartons distributors, Germany could eliminate almost 2,400 metric tons of plastic from packaging for eggs yearly,” claims Hilbrand van Dijk, sales and marketing manager at Huhtamaki.
Futuro cartons are made of post-consumer recycled fibre, and in Germany, they can be recycled in the paper and cardboard stream as well as composted at home or in an industrial composting facility after use.
Also, Huhtamaki says that the new flapless design makes the cartons 10% lighter than standard fibre cartons, reducing their carbon footprint. The patented design also allows consumers to be able to see the eggs on retail shelves.
With a long tradition of selling fresh and cooked coloured eggs, Moos-Butzen is the first distributor to start using Futuro egg cartons for their products in June.
“Partnering with Huhtamaki was a strategic choice for us,” says Rainer Becker, managing director at Moos-Butzen. “Quality and sustainability are integral to how we operate, we expect our partners to reflect these values. Bringing in the Futuro egg carton helps our customers make their products stand out on shelves in a sustainable way.”
“We are committed to designing 100% of our products to be recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2030, and work closely with our customers to address the fast-evolving consumer needs,” adds Hilbrand van Dijk, Sales & Marketing Manager at Huhtamaki. “We are proud to bring the first 100% plastic-free solution to the market that is specially designed for cooked coloured eggs.”
The hard-boiled eggs packed in Futuro cartons can now be found in retail stores in Germany and will be available in other markets across Europe in the Autumn.
