Stora Enso’s new Trayforma BarrPeel – a barrier-coated board material for vacuum skin packs – hopes to allow fresh food to be packaged on recyclable paperboard trays and reduce plastic materials to less than 10% of the overall pack.
Apparently, the solution contains 90% renewable wood fibres and minimises the amount of plastic used in a bid to reduce the carbon footprint of the pack. Its ‘special surface’ apparently facilitates the easy peeling of its overlaying polymer skin.
Trayforma BarrPeel is expected to be utilised in press trays for vacuum-packed cold cuts, single-portion meats, fish, and cheese. It aspires to extend the shelf life of food and cut down on food waste, as well as enable brands to meet increasing demand for sustainable packaging materials at an affordable price.
“With Trayforma BarrPeel, we improve environmental performance on two levels: protecting food to provide a longer shelf life, and reducing the share of fossil-based materials,” says Jaana Keskitalo, technical account manager for Trayforma & Barriers at Stora Enso. “We’re especially proud that we can achieve this while also providing a great user experience. This easily peelable tray material lets consumers enjoy their product with minimal effort.”
Sainsbury’s made the recent decision to remove plastic trays and vacuum pack its beef mince range in a bid to cut out 55% of plastic per product and save 450 tonnes of plastic every year. Consumers criticised the ‘awful’ decision for impacting the quality of the meat, as well as making the packaging harder to recycle.
On a different note, Stora Enso has also partnered with AFRY to convert a decommissioned paper machine into a high-volume board production line, while Tesco and Faerch are utilising a PET recycling initiative to incorporate recycled plastic from food trays back into chilled ready meal packaging.
If you liked this article, you might also enjoy:
McKinsey on whether or not on-pack sustainability claims affect consumer spending
A deep dive into the most important packaging sustainability trends and solutions
No comments yet