Orkla Suomi is piloting a high-barrier paper wrapper from UPM Specialty Papers for its Panda Milk Chocolate brand, intending to increase the share of renewable content in its packaging portfolio while maintaining recyclability.
Conventional chocolate bar wrappers utilize plastic or paper-plastic laminates to protect the food, extend its shelf life, and prevent grease from damaging the packaging material. Panda Milk’s previous packaging made use of polypropylene wrappers.
Now the brand is conducting a six-month pilot with packaging made from UPM Asendo Pro 75 g/m2 barrier paper. Claiming to offer a suitable grease barrier without an additional plastic layer, the paper has received BfR and FDA certification for food safety and undergone ‘extensive’ testing, including shelf-life tests.
It has also been proven recyclable in existing fibre recycling streams via PTS method RH 021/97, cat II. UPM emphasizes the accessibility of paper recycling in Finland and beyond, citing Eurostat’s assertion that 83% of paper and cardboard packaging is recycled in Europe.
Apparently, the fibres used to manufacture the paper are sourced exclusively from sustainably managed forests ‘where forest regeneration is ensured’. Orkla Suomi hopes that paper-based packaging will further its effort to increase renewable packaging materials in its portfolio without impacting its recyclability.
The chocolate packaging can also be sealed on Orkla Suomi’s existing flowpack machines with a cold seal lacquer.
“At Orkla Suomi, we want to make everyday life better with local brands that bring joy and make sustainable choices easier,” says Arja Laitinen, packaging developer at Orkla Snacks. “Our products are a combination of tradition, innovation, and sustainability.
“A great example of our ongoing efforts to replace fossil-based materials with renewable alternatives is the new paper-based chocolate tablet packaging, developed in collaboration with UPM and printing house Walki Westpak. We will pilot this paper-based packaging with Panda Milk Chocolate in spring 2025 to gather insights and experiences from the new solution.”
“Chocolate can be a challenging product to package in paper, due to its relatively high grease level,” says Kirsi Lahtela, senior manager of Product Portfolio Management at UPM Specialty Papers. “However, UPM has a solid product portfolio, extensive experience and the broad partner network needed to support the transition to recyclable paper-based packaging.
“Therefore, we are able to help converters and brands like Orkla Suomi with their packaging sustainability ambitions and to speed up the time to market of new packaging solutions.”
Another trial to apply paper packaging to chocolate bars is currently being conducted by Marks & Spencer; the redesigned pack for its Vanilla Fudge Bar is anticipated to be easier to recycle at kerbside and on the goal, and to remove 1.4 million units of plastic from M&S’ Foodhall over the next 12 months.
EvoPak has also developed 100% paper wrappers for Walkers Chocolates’ Turkish Delight and Mint Cream chocolate flavours. These packs are designed to be kerbside recyclable and replace conventional plastic liners with Aquapak’s Hydropol polymer, which has also been used in the ‘first’ fully recyclable crisp packet.
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