There are more and more reasons to replace the plastic bag for life with one in paper when you go shopping. BillerudKorsnäs and AB Group Packaging have introduced the reusable paper bag. The bag is said to be one of the world´s strongest paper bags now available in UK Supermarkets.
The secret behind the power of the reusable paper bag is the raw material called FibreForm RPET. Fabric or PP reusable bags have long been available for consumers but can now be replaced by a reusable bag made of FibreForm, says Veronica Fylkner, sales manager, formable solutions at BillerudKorsnäs.
“FibreForm is one of the strongest kraft papers in the world. It’s been on the market for a while and we are still exploring its full potential. We see several new applications we can develop with FibreForm and we are eager to replace less sustainable materials and solutions. It is a journey that we are pleased to be on as we can help decrease the amount of plastics and aluminium in different applications on the market” says Veronica Fylkner.
Laboratory tests have shown that the reusable paper bag can be reused over and over again. “We tested one bag until breakdown and it lasted 43 cycles which is equivalent with 860 lifts and this with a high weight of 16 kg. We can really say that FibreForm is suitable for reuse in all types of weather,” says Veronica Fylkner.
Today AB Group Packaging who manufactures in Ireland, the UK and Spain, is offering the ultra-strong paper bag to several major supermarkets in the UK. Compared to several other European countries, paper bags have not been an option in most UK retail stores, until recently. The reason behind this has been due to cost, plastic industry and some misperceptions that papers are weak and have higher climate impact. With good virgin paper from integrated paper mills you actually can crush both of those myths.
“We are really pleased to be working with BillerudKorsnäs – which we have done now for about 30 years. They are number one in all categories,” says Dermot Brady, founder and chief executive officer at AB Group Packaging.
AB Group Packaging has developed this ultra-strong bag with one of the strongest papers from BillerudKorsnäs. The aim has been to launch a re-usable paper bag, and AB Group Packaging has many clients on-board to make this change.
“Reduce, reuse, recycle – this is my vision of how the industry should operate in the future. We are responsible for every product we put on the market, all should be renewable. We want zero negative influence when producing and using our products and we are so pleased to be able to offer this product to the market.” says Dermot Brady.
The future bag is one step towards a sustainable future is to abandon plastic bags and use bio-based and 100% recyclable material. A common misunderstanding on the market is that paper has a higher impact on the climate than plastic.
Several studies have shown that BillerudKorsnas packaging materials have a lower climate impact than other materials. When the Swedish environmental institute IVL made a life cycle assessment on a BillerudKorsnäs standard paper for carrier bags, the paper actually had lower climate impact than bio-based plastic, recycled plastic and fossil-based plastic. The material used by AB Group Packaging for the supermarket chains in the UK is BillerudKorsnäs FibreForm Kraft Paper – attaining both environmentally friendly criteria above. The uniqueness of FibreForm is said to be its strength, stretchability and resistance to tear.
Read our earlier story about paper being the most eco-friendly solution here.
For several types of strong paper bags normal kraft paper is enough, but if you want that extra level of strength to be able to reuse the bag several times – FibreForm is a good option.
“The world is now ready for a shift – from plastics to renewable bio-based products,” says Dermot Brady.
BillerudKorsnäs offers packaging materials and solutions that challenge conventional packaging for a sustainable future. The company is a provider of primary fiber-based packaging materials and has customers in over 100 countries. The company has eight production units in Sweden, Finland, and the UK and about 4500 employees in over 13 countries, including India.
