AR Packaging launches paper fruit and veg tray amid growing plastic minimization demand

09 Mar 2021 --- Sweden-based AR Packaging is releasing a barrier carton board tray for fruit and vegetable packaging made from 95 percent paper fiber, recyclable in the majority of paper recycling streams.

AR Packaging says it is answering a call to minimize plastic packaging use, which is a main concern for retailers and food producers.

Solid plastic trays are commonly used for fresh vegetables and fruits. Although AR Packaging offers trays made of renewable plastics, recyclable fiber trays are still the preferred solution, says the company.

AR Packaging, therefore, designed a one-piece tray with a thin barrier coating. The tray is based on a carton board made of fibers from certified sustainably managed sources.

Fiber barriers 
Ingrid Lidbäck, group marketing and communication director at AR, speaks to PackagingInsights about how the new tray was created. 

“Replacing rigid plastic trays with fiber-based alternatives usually requires giving special attention to the stability and barrier of the pack, as well as secured sealing performance and efficient processability in the existing packaging lines.”

AR’s barrier trays are composed of 95% paper fiber.However, she explains that ridding the trays of their plastic content entirely would be neither practical nor sustainable for a number of reasons. 

“Packaging offers a wide range of different fiber base trays suitable for a range of different packed goods. In this specific case, taking away the plastic and having a pure fiber tray would mean sacrificing the product protection with a less tight packaging and thereby a higher risk for food spoilage and waste as a consequence.” 

“We offer thinner barrier coatings without plastics for other applications, and we continue to explore further opportunities,” Lidbäck continues. 

Switching to fiber barriers can be done at no additional cost and without the need for new equipment, asserts the company. 

Making savings 
The amount of plastics that can be reduced or saved using AR’s new tray depends on how the tray is used for a specific application, explains Lidbäck.  

The unbleached paper look and feel of the tray make it easy for brand owners to communicate the environmental benefits to the end consumer, says AR. 

A key sustainable aspect of the trays is that no additional materials need to be used to add marketing or design to the outer surface. 

“An additional benefit with fiber trays is the possibility of having print directly on the tray, so no labels or plastic wrappers needed for branding and consumer communication on all outer sides of the tray,” asserts Lidbäck.

AR expands 
This year, AR Packaging continued strengthening its position in the UK with Firstan Holdings' acquisition, a pharmaceutical packaging business. 

The move is designed to empower AR Packaging’s position as a leading provider of folding cartons, flexibles and fiber-based containers in post-Brexit UK.

The group already holds a strong position as a specialist in flexible barrier materials and carton-based containers in the UK market. 

By Louis Gore-Langton