Fighting food waste with Graphic Packaging International, Huhtamaki and Stora Enso

As the food packaging industry shifts toward circular, recyclable solutions, packagers must ensure that they still provide adequate protection to preserve product shelf life and alleviate food waste. We sit down with experts at Graphic Packaging International, Huhtamaki, and Stora Enso to discuss how to achieve a balance between food protection and packaging recyclability.

Advanced barrier coatings are among the top innovations packaging companies are developing to reduce food waste and facilitate the transition to more sustainable packaging. Businesses are expanding paperboard’s packaging potential by supporting sensitive and demanding products such as food and liquids, improving packaging integrity and structure, and increasing shelf life. 

“Barriers have many functional benefits important for preventing damage and spoilage, like sealing and moisture and light protection,” says Tuomas Puonti, vice president for Product Development at Stora Enso.

“Applications include traditional PE coatings with excellent humidity protection to multilayer Barr with oxygen and aroma protection, to our Aqua+ coating that offers excellent sealability and better repulpability for improved fiber recovery in the recycling process.”

Huhtamaki also develops barrier coatings with minimal or no plastics, including for ice cream 

Huhtamaki’s Icon range (Image credit: Huhtamaki).

“In Europe, ice cream typically has a shelf life of two years. Our containers ensure that this two-year shelf life is easily achievable, even when the plastic content is less than 5% of the total package weight,” says Karyn Castillo, vice president for Communications at Huhtamaki.

“On the US market, we have launched the Icon range with ice cream containers featuring a repulpable, water-based barrier coating, which is recyclable locally.”

Combining paper with bio-based polymers 

Graphic Packaging International also enhances circularity through barrier innovations. 

“We explore ways to increase package recyclability by minimizing use of plastic barrier materials while maximizing paper content in our solutions. This approach still must meet requirements and expectations for food safety and shelf life while enhancing convenience and circularity. In this way, we work to minimize both food waste and package waste,” says Michelle Fitzpatrick, vice president and chief sustainability officer at Graphic Packaging International.

“Various alternative barrier materials exist to make paperboard food packaging resistant to moisture and other external elements that compromise food freshness, taste, and shelf life. We see huge promise and opportunities to combine paperboard consumer packaging with bio-based polymer barriers made from plants.”

Biopolymer coatings, such as the ones in Graphic Packaging International’s ecotainer products, come from renewable materials and can be recycled or composted, depending on local acceptance in recycling streams. 

“[These solutions] help our customers and consumers further transition away from standard fossil plastics and, in some cases, meet requirements to be considered plastic-free under the EU single-use plastic directive,” says Fitzpatrick.

Fit-for-purpose packaging

Huhtamaki focuses on developing fit-for-purpose packaging solutions that deliver recyclability without compromising barrier protection or affordability. 

“Examples are our transformational blueloop monomaterial flexible packaging solutions in paper, PE, and PP Retort, fit for demanding applications. Product applications include the culinary, coffee packaging, pet food, and home and personal care industries,” says Castillo.Stora Enso offers advanced barrier coatings in food applications (Image credit: Stora Enso).

“Shelf life performance and protection from the elements are important in any product intended for human consumption or use and the barrier properties are always tailored accordingly. We have launched solutions that cover even the ‘aggressive products’ that require a very strong barrier. Practical examples include hair colorant and ketchup.”

Paper rivals plastic 

Extended food shelf life has the potential to help limit waste at retail and consumer levels.

Graphic Packaging International’s top-sealed ProducePack Punnet tray combines sustainability and functionality for fresh produce packaging. 

“Independent testing conducted by Washington State University, US, showed that both grape and cherry tomatoes had a longer shelf life in our paperboard punnet trays than those packaged in plastic,” says Fitzpatrick. 

She explains that the paperboard’s permeability, combined with the punnet tray’s ventilation holes, allowed moisture and gases to escape, lowering humidity levels inside the package. 

“Condensation did not form on the tomatoes in these punnet trays, which explains why mold grew more slowly and was much less on these tomatoes compared to those packed in plastic. This functionality has the potential to help limit waste at retail and at consumer levels.”

Freezing out food waste 

Freezing food is another way to preserve quality and prolong shelf life. Fitzpatrick says that studies find that stores and households generally waste less frozen foods than fresh foods. 

Graphic Packaging International’s top-sealed ProducePack Punnet trays (Image credit: Graphic Packaging International).“Because of this, frozen foods can have an overall lower carbon footprint than foods preserved in other ways.” 

“We offer a range of paperboard frozen food packaging. Fibrecote R Flexible Packaging Material, for example, efficiently delivers a long shelf life for a variety of frozen application needs, including produce, which are among the foods most susceptible to loss and waste.”

Lightweight designs

Functional packaging designs can also support the fight against food loss, helping consumers reduce food waste. Puonti says that resealability, easy-emptying design, or portion control features can support this goal. 

“Importantly, improved design should not mean over-engineered packaging or using more materials than necessary. It’s critical that food-safe packaging material is produced efficiently, for example, through lightweight paperboard and thin barrier coatings, to minimize its footprint.”

“Stora Enso’s newest folding box board, Performa Nova, is produced with our proprietary FiberLight Tec, which results in higher material efficiency, allowing for more packages to be produced with less raw material.”

Fitzpatrick says design is important at Graphic Packaging International. “Design plays a pivotal role in minimizing the environmental impact of packaging while maximizing its functionality and convenience. Our Design for Environment methodology serves as a foundation to strike this critical balance.”

Balancing sustainability and performance

An ongoing industry challenge regarding food loss is balancing packaging sustainability with material performance. Regulations are driving the need for packaging that minimizes size and waste, and maximizes circularity. 

“Many reports reveal that consumers (nearly three-quarters worldwide and 90% in the US) prefer products with sustainable packaging,” according to Fitzpatrick.

“Paperboard packaging uses sustainably sourced wood and (when possible) recycled materials, and paperboard has some of the highest recycling rates for packaging materials. Cartons, trays, canisters, baskets — there’s a paperboard packaging innovation for foods across the grocery aisles.”

“But packaging must also protect the goods inside from damage and loss. That’s especially essential for food. The impact of food loss and waste on carbon emissions is generally far greater than that of packaging waste.”