Paper packaging

The world’s forests are being logged at an alarming rate — three billion trees a year go into the paper packaging supply chain. To put a fine pint on it, that many trees would fill an area the size of Germany. The necessary shift away from single-use plastics could put even more forests in danger, so it is time for food companies to replace high-carbon, single-use tree fibre with more circular feedstocks like recycled paper or agricultural residues to make paper packaging.

The world’s largest compilation of recycled and NextGen paper and packaging options available to brands and companies — the EcoPaper Database — has just been updated and expanded. This integral resource comes at a vital time as the impact of paper packaging on the world’s forests, climate, and biodiversity continues to grow. The EcoPaper Database (EPD), created by international environmental non-profit Canopy, is a listing of over 1,100 paper and paper packaging options available to help businesses reduce their impact on Ancient and Endangered Forests.

According to Sitma, E-Wrap is designed to meet the demands of the logistics sector in terms of speed and efficiency. The company adds that the unit can be integrated into various production settings and hubs with different layouts, as well as combined with units for labelling and weighing.

Sitma says that E-Wrap can be used for the automatic management of printing systems for e-commerce applications. Additionally, the machine can apparently insert documents into the package, such as invoices, delivery notes, return labels, coupons, and leaflets.

According to Unilever, the move will see the brand use 93% less plastic per pack compared to the previous Carte D’Or packaging, corresponding to annual savings of around 900 tonnes of virgin plastic.

The paper used in the tub and lid is reportedly sustainably sourced and is PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) approved. Unilever adds that the tub and lid can be rinsed and then put into normal household paper recycling streams.