Stora Enso – a leading global provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden constructions and paper – has launched Trayforma, a new wood fibre-based material composition designed for microwavable food tray packaging.

 

The new renewable material from Stora Enso is free of PET, has a very low share of PP and a lower carbon footprint compared to traditional meal tray products. The material contains up to 95 per cent wood fibres, making it widely recyclable in most existing carton packaging recycling schemes.

 

Microwavable meals are typically packed in fossil-based PET trays as the material is safe for heating. Stora Enso’s Trayforma material replaces fossil-based plastics with renewable, lightweight paperboard that significantly lowers the carbon footprint of each tray. By changing to recyclable, low-carbon trays, brand owners and retailers selling microwave ready-meals can act on their circular economy commitments. 

Packaging materials play “key role” in eco-friendly product offer

“With consumers more than ever before making sustainably conscious purchasing decisions, packaging materials play a key role in offering an eco-friendly product,” asserted says Tuomas Puonti, VP, Head of Business Line LPB Fresh & FSB. “Additionally, a key driver for continued growth of high-quality ready-meals is urban, small households and their search for convenience. With Stora Enso’s new material compositions, trays made with Trayforma fit the recyclability demands in a circular economy while remaining safe for microwave heating,” he added.

Fibre-based packaging is the most recycled material in Europe (83 per cent), and every year European countries recycle more fibres than other materials such as plastic and glass. The new Trayforma PP by Stora Enso also ensures that fibre-based trays fit existing fibre recovery and recycling systems in Europe. The material is up to 95-per-cent fibre-based and uses less than half of the barrier weight of current heatable materials.

 

When a biodegradable coating is used, these fibre-based trays are compostable in areas where biowaste is collected. Trayforma Bio by Stora Enso is a bio-based and biodegradable material that is certified for industrial composting, meaning it will fully biodegrade fast enough (in under 12 weeks) to be recovered at industrial scale.  

Trayforma ready-meal trays are also available with a PET coating when conventional heating is required. 

Part of the bioeconomy, Stora Enso is a leading global provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden constructions and paper. With approximately 23,000 employees, and a presence in over 50 countries worldwide, Stora Enso achieved sales of €8.6 billion in 2020. Stora Enso shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Oy (STEAV, STERV) and Nasdaq Stockholm AB (STE A, STE R). In addition, the shares are traded in the USA as ADRs (SEOAY). www.storaenso.com/en