Smurfit Kappa, a paper-based packaging provider, has collaborated with Mitsubishi HiTec Paper, a supplier of specialty paper, to create a new type of recyclable food-safe packaging as part of its ongoing ‘Better Planet Packaging’ initiative. A combination of Smurfit Kappa’s paper-based packaging and Mitsubishi HiTec Paper’s coated papers has resulted in the product being shortlisted as a finalist in the Swiss Packaging Awards.
The outer board-based packaging was made from Smurfit Kappa’s MB12 packaging solution, which has a unique, built-in absorbing technology that protects against aromas and possible migration of substances. The inner packaging, which contains Mitsubishi HiTec Paper’s Barricote barrier paper, offers protection against moisture and grease and has heat-sealing properties. The solution demonstrates a possibility to create functional board-based packaging that is fully recyclable owing to the optimized use of renewable raw materials in the barrier.
“It has been an exciting collaborative process for us working with Mitsubishi HiTec Paper on this project,” said Lars Henriksson, vice president of Product Development of the Smurfit Kappa Paper Division. “The fibers that our paper is made from are an excellent solution for a huge range of products due to a range of attributes, not least their inherent sustainability.”
Dr Dieter Becker, director of New Business Development and CSR at Mitsubishi HiTec Paper, added, “Our solutions are completely free from foil, laminates, aluminum, and fluorocarbons. Instead, we rely on the highest possible percentage of biodegradable resources, which is why Smurfit Kappa’s MB12 solution was the right one.”
HOBAKO AG, a Swiss producer of chocolate products, together with SCHELLING AG, its Swiss packaging provider, was the first to use the new board-based packaging solution, which was shortlisted as a finalist in both the sustainability and technology categories of the Swiss Packaging Awards earlier in 2019.
