Huhtamaki unveils 100 home delivery packaging solutions amid COVID-19 e-commerce expansion

22 Apr 2021 --- Huhtamaki has created a catalog of 100 home delivery packaging designs to bring a broad range of environmentally sustainable options to the growing e-commerce market.

The new product range is designed to serve food delivery and on-the-go operators.

Clare Moulson, Huhtamaki’s UK marketing and communications executive, tells PackagingInsights the catalog helps operators prepare for more stringent sustainability regulations. 

“Huhtamaki’s ‘Packaging that delivers’ catalog groups products based on the types of food for which they can be used, by functionality (for example, dual ovenable) and by the delivery or service channel operators are using (hot hold, delivery or takeaway on the go).”

“Some of the products in the range are brand new, some are established, popular and fast-moving products. Many of which have been updated to improve performance and deliver stronger sustainability benefits, for example, reduced plastic content.”

Impending plastics regulations such as the UK Plastics Tax, the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive, and the US Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act loom over the sector.

One of Huhtamaki’s delivery boxes, made with cardboard and PET.COVID-19 and e-commerce
Huhtamaki has served the foodservice takeaway, on the go and delivery markets for many years, says Moulson, and over the past 18 months, it has seen growth in this sector accelerate. 

“Consumer behavior has changed, particularly about ordering, takeaway, delivery and consumption of meals and drinks.” 

“Packaging is instrumental, more now than ever, in delivering the latest menus and maintaining the all-important quality of the food within.”

“We have launched the range to address this change in consumer behavior and serve the needs of our customers within this sector.”

Innova Market Insights recently reported that one in three consumers globally have increased their home delivery food orders since the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Packaging that delivers 
The range features many UK manufactured fiber-based products using PFAS-free materials. 

“Our packaging delivers superior functionality, for example, our Taste range gives excellent heat retention and leak resistance,” continues Moulson. 

“We have updated a number of the Taste products to reduce the plastic content by up to 33 percent on previous versions.”

While the products in the range have been chosen to present a variety of “fiber-focused solutions” for food safety and sustainability, some designs still contain plastic. 

There are items in the range which contain a PET window to give food visibility and on-shelf appeal. The catalog offers clear and concise guidance for operators in relation to responsible disposal of the products featured in the range, she says. 

Preparing for change 
Huhtamaki’s range joins a plethora of industry initiatives aimed at meeting increasingly tighter regulations. 

Innova Market Insights recently revealed “Home Delivery Haven” as its top packaging trend for 2021. 

This year, Huhtamaki and Stora Enso welcomed a Life Cycle Assessment finding paper-based packaging more eco-friendly than reusable tableware in quick-service restaurants.

The PP-based multi-use system generated 2.7 times more CO2 equivalent emissions than the paper-based single-use system.

By Louis Gore-Langton