Stora Enso Recyclable Board Used in New Cold Cuts Packaging

HK Ruokatalo, a Finnish food manufacturer, this week relaunched its range of sliced meats packaged for the first time in paperboard trays that can be recycled just like milk and juice cartons. The new cold cuts packaging is based on Stora Enso's (Finland) new Primeforma board, developed for thermoformed food packaging. The board can be used on existing packaging lines that were previously used for plastic packaging.

"Stora Enso has a long tradition as a major supplier of corrugated board and packaging systems to HK Ruokatalo. As the formability of board and the coating methods have developed, new opportunities have opened up for the company to develop consumer packaging, in the future also in the meat products sector," says Packaging Specialist Asko Koskela from HK Ruokatalo.

"In autumn 2009, HK Ruokatalo decided to reduce its use of plastics in the packaging of its products by about 115 metric tpy. The introduction of a recyclable board material was the logical next step," says Kim Lindholm, the food giant's marketing manager. "Fiber-based packaging is an interesting solution that appeals to consumers, and HK Ruokatalo actively follows up on its development. In addition to environmental aspects, fiber also has the advantage of offering a more pleasing feel compared with plastic."

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