Huhtamaki Foodservice Nordic (Hameemlinna, Finland) announced on Tuesday of this week that  the company has become the first to introduce a single use paperboard hot cup range with the Nordic Ecolabel and the right to use the Swan logo. The cups produced in Hämeenlinna, Finland, meet all the criteria of the Nordic Ecolabel. The cups are targeted for cafés, restaurants, and catering services.  

The Swan label guarantees that the product is designed and manufactured in a best possible way for the environment, taking into account the entire product life cycle. Only the most carefully made products can receive the right to use the Swan logo. The criteria for obtaining the Nordic Ecolabel are tight, for example, products must contain at least 90% renewable raw materials, they have to be recyclable or compostable, the chemicals allowed are strictly limited, and the energy consumption and emissions in production are also taken into account.

Huhtamaki started the process of applying for the Ecolabel in 2015, and now it can present the finished products to clients. The cups are as sturdy as before and they look the same, but they represent an important value added.

"Sustainable development is an important part of our business. The Nordic Ecolabel is a well known and respected Eco-label and receiving it shows that we make concrete efforts in the field of sustainable development. The Nordic Ecolabel is very interesting to our customers,",Huhtamaki's Sales Director Peter Kinnunen said.

"We get more and more inquiries for Ecolabeled disposable products. We are delighted that the world's leading manufacturer is responding to this challenge," the Nordic Ecolabel expert Anna Sahlman told Hutamaki Foodservice Nordic.

The hot cups with a generic Swan print are available in two sizes, 250 ml and 300 ml. In addition, clients can order the cups with a specific print in all of the basic range size options. In the future, the range expands together with the customers' interests and needs.

The cups with the Nordic Ecolabel can be recognized from the Swan logo printed in the cups and in the packaging.