Holmen Iggesund releases Inverform PET 30 food tray with low-carbon impact

04 Aug 2023 --- Holmen Iggesund has launched its Inverform PET 30 tray made from combined paperboard and PET coatings for improved product recyclability.

The Inverform PET 30 is a 30 grams per square meter (gsm) version of the company’s ready-made meal trays. Holmen Iggesund previously only provided its PET coating in a 40 gsm version. Compared to the 40 gsm version, the 30 gsm has a carbon reduction of more than 25%.

“Our new PET 30 gsm product provides food packaging with the required temperature resistance and fat and moisture barrier, but with a shallow plastic content,” says Malin Ekroos, product manager Added Value at Holmen Iggesund.

“We created this product in line with our ambition to decrease the use of plastic in packaging. This is something consumers and brands want to see, and we can contribute to that change.”

Fiber-based trays
Holmen Iggesund aims to help its customers lower their climate impact with the new tray. The trays are a sustainable alternative with a “significantly” lower carbon footprint. It is created from fresh wood fibers of known and traceable origin from sustainably managed forests.

Holmen Iggesund releases 30 gsm trays with reduced plastic.The combined PET coating and paperboard products are made for creating ready-made meal trays. Holmen Iggesund says the product has “all the advantages of trays made entirely from plastic.”

“Our new product has the lowest plastic content of any comparable extrusion-coated PET product currently on the market,” adds Ekroos.

“Launching the new Holmen Iggesund PET 30 product is part of our product development process. It is a good step forward in our journey to provide our customers with increasingly [environmentally] sustainable alternatives, a journey we will continue through more product innovation.”

Integrated barriers
The tray’s coating ensures “extreme” temperature resistance with a moisture barrier, making it suitable for microwaves or conventional ovens with ready-made chilled and frozen food. The tray also features an oxygen and fat barrier.

The product innovation was undertaken at the Holmen Iggesund Research and Development center with customer input.

The new tray can be combined with Holmen Iggesund’s Inverform paperboard products. The reduced plastic content means that Holmen Iggesund can now offer its customers some of its combined paperboard and PET products at a ratio of 90% fiber to 10% plastic.

The PET coating is available in black, white or transparent versions. The PET-coated reverse side also has a glossy finish for improved surface characteristics.

Packaging Insights previously reported how packaging companies are experiencing end-market pressure to reduce plastic amid demands for more environmentally sustainable – often paper-based – solutions. This mega-trend is spurring innovation in barrier coatings that support circularity.

Edited by Sabine Waldeck

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