Sappi North America, Boston, Mass., USA, this past week expanded its offerings in the packaging market with the launch of LusterCote™, a C1S paper for labels and other related end-use applications. Sappi is introducing the product to respond to a global customer need in consumer packaged goods, setting the stage for the future with packaging as one of its core business segments.

Sappi's 60 years of experience in the packaging industry began with selling paper to multi-wall bag manufacturers in the 1950s. In 1993, it introduced LusterPrint®, a grease-resistant paper used primarily in pet food packaging. LusterPrint is compliant with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations for paper and paperboard packaging in contact with dry, aqueous, and fatty foods. It also can be used in the production of popcorn bags and a variety of other flexible packaging applications.

"Our long-standing experience in packaging gives us confidence that we can meet the growing need for superior labeling papers," said Jennifer Miller, EVP of the coated business and chief sustainability officer, Sappi North America. "The introduction of LusterCote is a natural extension of Sappi's packaging line and proof of our commitment to product innovation in response to growing customer demand. In addition to our North American grades, the wide-range of specialty packaging grades now available from our Alfeld mill in Germany, such as Algro Finess, Parade Prima, and Fusion, position Sappi to meet the evolving expectations of the North American packaging market."

LusterCote has been fully qualified by leading label converters in the U.S. and Canada and is produced at Sappi's Somerset Mill in Skowhegan, Maine. It will be sold directly to label printers and converters. LusterCote is initially available in both 55 lb. and 60 lb. basis weights.

"We are excited about bringing product advantages to the labeling industry that have long been associated with Sappi's Somerset mill," said Mark Odgers, commercial director of Sappi's Import and Packaging Business. "The excellence of our printing surface and superior bulk and stiffness will translate into yield and converting efficiencies and bring real value to the label market."

Made with nearly 80% renewable energy and available with SFI, FSC, or PEFC chain of custody certification, LusterCote offers key features that include excellent runnability and stiffness, as well as superior print performance.

The launch of LusterCote is a key facet of Sappi's decision to permanently expand its packaging business at a time when converters are searching for reliable and stable providers amid a market disrupted from recent closures, sales, and mega-mergers. Sappi's newly formed Packaging Group will be led by Odgers, a 30-year industry veteran who recently managed M-real's North American business.

Assisting Odgers will be Laura Thompson, PhD, Sappi's director of Technical Marketing and Sustainable Development, who led the development of LusterCote. Thompson has been heavily involved in past product development for Sappi and, previously, for MeadWestvaco. She will continue to explore new packaging and technical specialty product opportunities.

Sappi's new Packaging Group will be supported by a dedicated sales team: Wayne Nablo, sales manager, Sappi Europe Specialty Products; Scott Marquis, sales manager, LusterPrint; and, Tom Glas, sales manager, LusterCote.