Trends in consumer packaging are favouring the use of board as packaging material for chocolates, says Germany-based Stora Enso Renewable Packaging, ahead of the ProSweets exhibition at Koelnmesse in Cologne today (Monday 30 Jan).
The strongest is the trend to increase sustainability in the chocolate value chain, the company says, which according to Stora Enso Renewable Packaging sales director Wilfried Schmahl: “Improves the position of carton board with light-weight barrier layers, while use of fossil based package materials and metal foils is becoming less popular.”
Other trends include producing packages of smaller size, which, especially in more affluent European countries, brings to market a greater variety of carton boxes; and the need for new shapes and new types of package construction design, recently exemplified by a ring-shaped chocolate package made of the company’s Performa Bright board, introduced by A&R Carton in Germany.
“By listening to both printers and brand owners we focused our development work on the key properties of strength and printability,” says Eva Lundqvist, product manager at Stora’s Fors Mill in Sweden.
“This input from our customers was combined with the capabilities of the rebuilt board machine. Feedback from commercial trials was extremely positive.”
Stora Enso Renewable Packaging has recently launched enhanced versions of the Performa White, Performa Bright and Performa Cream carton boards. Thanks to innovation made at Fors Mill, these products now come with excellent smoothness, increased strength and an enhanced visual appearance, the company says.
The Performa boards are the leading brand for chocolate and confectionery packaging, Stora Enso claims, “thanks to their excellent odour and taint neutrality”.
Stora Enso employs some 30,000 people worldwide, and sales in 2010 amounted to €10.3 billion.
Stora Enso Renewable Packaging produces fibre-based packaging materials and innovative packaging solutions for consumer goods and industrial packaging applications, operating in every stage of the value chain, from pulp production, material and packaging production to recycling.
Covering the entire supply spectrum of the confectionery industry under one roof, the ProSweets exhibition takes place at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany, 29 Jan – 01 Feb 2012.
Stora Enso recommends carton board for confectionery
