Iggesund paperboard is an alternative to plastic food trays

The Inverform^TM is Iggesund's alternative to ready-made food packaging trays. It is a Solid Bleached Board (SBB) made of pure cellulose fibres sourced from sustainably managed forests. A polymer barrier is added to Inverform making it ideal for tray forming and heat sealing. The new material has exceptional formability. It is also a food grade material, without added optical brightening agents and it has the required food safety certificates, including being safe for use in microwaves and conventional ovens. As such, it is another option to traditional solutions, including plastic trays.

“Iggesund Paperboard has a long tradition of working sustainably and producing material that won’t harm the environment. Inverform was developed largely in response to the plastic pollution problem,” says Stefan Söderberg, Sales Manager, Iggesund Paperboard.

The company noted the extensive use of plastic materials is linked to many serious problems, including its impact to climate since fossil fuels are required to make plastic; plastic is collecting in the oceans and elsewhere, due to the lack of biodegradability; and excess waste due to a low level (less than 40%) of recycling.

Iggesund Paperboard is part of the Swedish forest industry group Holmen, a group that several times in the last decade has been listed as one of the world’s 100 most sustainable companies on different sustainability indices. All Holmen Mills have been awarded Platinum.

“We were determined to come up with a renewable and recyclable material for food trays that would be more environmentally friendly than plastic, while maintaining the same high packaging performance throughout the value chain,” says Stefan Söderberg.

Food and retail companies that are looking for more ways for their products to support a sustainable future can now ask for trays made of Inverform. Trays made of Inverform with a plastic barrier have a substantially lower carbon footprint than the common plastic tray and can be recycled in existing paper packaging recycling schemes. And, in addition to helping to lower the climate impact, Inverform packaging meets the highest standards for food hygiene and protection, ensuring longer life and less food waste.

“Inverform is the first of a new product application and we are in the process of developing the next generation of barriers since there is an increasing demand for sustainable packaging solutions and the requirements are becoming tougher each year. We are continuously improving our products to help our customers with their challenges now and in the future,” says Söderberg.