Smurfit Kappa develops recyclable oil-absorbent packaging for Lithuanian fast-food restaurant

26 Jan 2022 --- Smurfit Kappa has developed new environmentally sustainable packaging for fast-food by partnering with independent packaging consultant Juozas Baranauskas.

The Twin Kraft Grease Guard MB12 packaging solution, created for Lithuanian fast-food restaurant Fresh Post, is part of Smurfit Kappa’s Better Planet Packaging portfolio of products, which offer environmentally sustainable alternatives to existing single-use plastic solutions.

The 100% Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified pack is created in an energy-efficient manner with significant reductions in both electricity and water compared to the previous solution.

“If all takeaway food providers were to switch to a paper-based material like Twin Kraft Solid Board, the impact would be significant,” says Smurfit Kappa’s vice president of innovation and development, Arco Berkenbosch.

Oil-absorbing packaging
The new Fresh Post food box is made from Smurfit Kappa’s Twin Kraft Solid Board, a paper-based mono-material specifically designed for food packaging. 

By integrating the company’s MB12 technology, the recyclable material can absorb mineral oils, keeping food safe while simultaneously protecting aroma and taste.

The FSC-certified pack is created with electricity and water reductions.Smurfit Kappa explains the complete life cycle of the pack, including the materials’ origins, supply chain and how it is collected at the end of life, are shown on the Fresh Post website as a digital “add-on,” giving consumers “full transparency.”

Transformative potential
Smurfit Kappa works with customers of all sizes to help them realize their environmental sustainability goals and present their products “in the best and most sustainable way.”

“It’s yet another example of a Better Planet Packaging product with the potential to have a transformative effect on a sector,” says Berkenbosch. 

Inga Tribuišienė, founder and CEO of Fresh Post, adds: “Today we have everything we wanted – responsibility from suppliers and manufacturers, and complete traceability of the packaging down to the smallest detail.” 

“The whole development has even led to a reduction in costs of packaging and the new material will reduce taxes on packaging, which are starting this year.”

Edited by Natalie Schwertheim