Beauty’s in the hand of the beholder: Stora Enso launches plastic-replacing paperboard tube for cosmetics

02 Oct 2019 --- With combating climate change and reducing the environmental impacts of packaging set on its agenda, Stora Enso is launching a paperboard tube for cosmetics as an eco-friendly alternative to plastic tubes. The paperboard tube is suitable for the primary packaging of skin cream products and marks a step away from less environmentally-friendly materials, although 30 percent of the tube does still consist of plastic.

“We are seeing increasing demand in the cosmetics field for new innovative solutions made of renewable materials. The paperboard tube will offer cosmetics brands who want to appeal to eco-conscious consumers a competitive new alternative,” Henna Pääkkönen-Alvim, Vice President, Innovation, Stora Enso Consumer Board division tells PackagingInsights.

The body of the tube is made from a barrier-coated, grease-resistant paperboard, with the shoulder and cap being made of plastic. Pääkkönen-Alvim explains that the shoulder and cap are currently ready-made plastic parts that are sealed to the paperboard body through a partnership with tub machinery manufacturer Aisa. Currently, Stora Enso is developing biocomposite materials to further reduce the amount of plastic in the tube’s shoulder and cap.

“Barrier coated paperboard used in other packaging applications such as beverage cartons is widely recycled, so technically the paperboard tubes could be processed at similar recycling facilities. However, the collection and recycling streams differ in countries, and the recyclability of the end product on a given market must be assessed separately,” Pääkkönen-Alvim notes. 

The key, she says, to a more environmentally-conscious business is stepping away from fossil-based resources. “Replacing the use of fossil-based resources with renewable raw materials is the foundation of a sustainable bioeconomy. Paperboard is made of wood fiber, and trees grow back in sustainably managed forests. Trees are thus a renewable resource, unlike fossil-based materials.” 

The material has been tested with a cosmetics brand for storing skincare creams for six months. However, the company will need to conduct further testing as consumer demand for paperboard tubes increases across the market, Pääkkönen-Alvim concludes. 

Rethinking packaging
Stora Enso is not just active in the cosmetics packaging space. Last month, Unilever relaunched its branded Carte d’Or ice cream in compostable paperboard packaging by Stora Enso, available in Italy. The container is made from Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) fiber, sporting a biodegradable barrier coating. After use, it can be either recycled or composted in industrial composting.

During packaging event FachPack in Nuremberg, Germany, PackagingInsights interviewed Martin Hammer, Segment Sales Development Manager Division Consumer Board of Stora Enso, who offered his insights into the supplier’s super sustainable, 70 percent bio-based coffee pack. Boasting high barrier properties, the bio pack can also accommodate nuts, powdered infant formula, fine cut tobacco and other instant drinks.

Paperboard as an alternative to plastic has been recently introduced by Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I. The company sealed a £6.3 million (US$7.8 million) investment in new technology this month, allowing it to eliminate plastic rings from can packaging across its entire UK-produced beer range by the end of 2020. By introducing this new machinery and expanding overall paperboard packaging capacity, the company aims to ensure all plastic rings are eliminated.

By Anni Schleicher with additional reporting by Joshua Poole

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