New packaging material meets future demands

SCA is launching a new packaging material within its Sustainable Packaging product area. The new products have excellent print properties and a world leading environment profile, yet are very competitively priced.

The packaging paper has been specifically developed for use in finer corrugated products, so-called microflute, or when a beautiful surface finish is called for on board products. Flexible packaging is an individual and exceptionally large focus area that includes different bags, cover wrapping and other practical yet attractive packaging products. Flexible packaging is forecast to be a strong growth area over the next ten years.

Sustainable Packaging consists of three product families; SPLENDO, OPERIO and PURO. They include both coated and uncoated grades with both gloss and matt finishes. Together, these products add up to resource efficient, strong and light packaging materials with excellent print qualities. They also boast superb performance when it comes to product safety and environment friendliness, are manufactured from recoverable virgin fibre from sustainably managed forests in an environmentally efficient way.

“Many of these products also have a uniquely high opacity, i.e. they are non-transparent, which ensures even thinly wrapped packages conceal what is contained inside,” says Hans Pettersson, Head of Business Development at Sustainable Packaging.

SCA’s new packaging material meets several packaging industry requirements. Weight, print surface, cost efficiency and environment profile are important parameters for future food packaging. Packaging design and visibility in store are increasingly important as are ease of transport, unpacking, stacking, taking home and recycling after use. Consumer environmental awareness is growing in line with rising concerns about climate change and diminishing natural resources. Authorities are also making bigger demands on manufacturers when it comes to recycling and waste management. Sustainability issues now have an unquestioned role in the community today.

These new products leverage the advantages of first class, resource efficient mechanical pulp together with strong and high opacity kraft pulp fibre to create a packaging material with unique qualities and benefits.

“Wood fibre is part of the natural cycle from which we borrow and then return. Our packaging products are a perfect partner for food conservation as we have 100 percent control over our raw materials,” adds Pettersson.

The products have been approved for direct contact with food and analysed by independent and reputable laboratories. As Germany’s BfR legislation is dominant in Europe, SCA has adopted that as its standard.

Broad product portfolio SCA Forest Products already has its Containerboard and Publication Papers product areas in parallel with Sustainable Packaging.

“We work closely with both Publication Papers who have extensive experience of print surfaces for optimum image reproduction and Containerboard that not only means we have a great deal of know-how at our disposal, it also enables SCA to offer a broader product portfolio,” says Pettersson.

This unique combination of materials, recipes and processes for Sustainable Packaging has created a new type of packaging paper for everyone with exacting demands when it comes to product safety and appearance, but who do not need the strongest possible kraft paper.