Paper-based packaging is on the rise, with a number of iconic brands swapping plastic and glass for fibre.

With food brands coming under increasing consumer pressure to make their packaging more environmentally friendly, a number of iconic brands are turning to paper and cardboard. Here are just a few.

Pot Noodle

The staple food of students everywhere, Pot Noodle is trialing a paper pot in a bid to cut down on 4,000 tonnes of virgin plastic every year. Following a three-year development process, the trial will see 500,000 chicken and mushroom flavour Pot Noodles repackaged in a paper pot and sold in Tesco stores in the UK.

Despite a thin layer of plastic film applied to provide barrier protection and protect the pot from water damage, the new FSC-certified paper packaging is fully recyclable in existing cardboard and paper streams. The shift to paper-based packaging is said to be the biggest change made to the brand’s pot since its launch in 1977.

“Pot Noodle has been a loved British brand for over 40 years and we’re always challenging ways to make our products and packaging better,” said Andre Burger, General Manager Foods (Nutrition) at Unilever UK & Ireland. “We are committed to reducing the plastic in our packaging and to a paper-based future for our pots.”

Pringles

As well as a plastic lid, the iconic Pringles tube has traditionally had a steel base, which has made recycling difficult. But the Belgian engineering and R&S teams at brand owner Kellogg’s have developed a paper fibre alternative that makes the tube fully compatible with paper recycling streams once the lid has been removed. Fully airtight, the new packaging offers a 15-month shelf life for the contents prior to opening.

“We have worked hard to improve our environmental footprint,” said Johan Van Batenburg, Director of the Pringles factory in Mechelen, Belgium. “The Pringles recyclable tube is another step towards sustainable packaging. We learned from a test carried out in 2020 that consumers approve of the new paper tube.”

Mars

Following a trial in Australia last year, Mars Wrigley have now trialed paper-based packaging for its Mars bars in the UK. Available at 500 Tesco stores for a limited time, the move is part of a $1bn investment by parent company Mars, Inc to tackle climate change and scarcity of resources, and comes after a number of other confectionary brands, including Quality Street, KitKat and Ferrero Rocher, have converted their packaging to more recyclable alternatives.

“For Mars bar, the challenge was to find the right paper packaging solution with an adequate level of barrier properties to protect the chocolate whilst guaranteeing the food safety, quality and integrity of the product to prevent food waste,” said Richard Sutherland-Moore, a packaging expert at Mars Wrigley UK’s research and development centre.

Absolut

Alcohol brands have been among the early adopters of paper-based bottles, and now Absolut is joining Carlsberg and Johnnie Walker in trialing an alternative to glass. As part of a three-month pilot test, the vodka brand will be sold in paper bottles in 22 Tesco stores across Greater Manchester this summer.

Made from 57% paper, the bottles will include a recyclable plastic barrier, with customers able to recycle the packaging as paper through normal household waste. Following trials of the bottle at festivals in the UK and Sweden, this will be the first time such paper bottles will have been sold commercially in-store by a global spirits company.

“This is a step closer towards our vision of a fully bio-based bottle,” said Elin Furelid, Director of Future Packaging at Absolut. “We are exploring packaging that has a completely different value proposition. Paper is tactile, it’s beautiful, it’s authentic, it’s light. That was our starting point, but this is not just an idea on paper.”

Paper Is Highly Recycled

The European paper recycling rate is 71%, making it one of the most recycled materials in the world. Europe is the world’s paper recycling champion at 71%, having the highest rate globally. It is followed by North America (68%) and Asia (55%). Within Europe, 13 countries exceed a 70% recycling rate.¹

It’s not possible to just use recycled paper in the production of new paper. Paper products cannot be recycled indefinitely as the fibres get too short and degraded for making new paper products. The cycle must therefore constantly be refilled with new strong virgin fibres from sustainably managed forests. 56% of the fibrous raw material for Europe’s paper industry is from paper for recycling.²

Sources

1. CEPI, 2021
2. CEPI Key Statistics, 2021

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