Stora Enso is meeting the growing demand for biodegradable packaging solutions by expanding its selection of biopolymer-coated packaging boards. Biodegradable coating options are available for a number of the company's board grades for use in cups, plates, trays and folding cartons. The paper cups used at the Finnish Pavillion at the current World Expo in Shanghai are made from biodegradable Cupforma board.

"The World Expo in China is a great place to present bio cups to the world as the result of our pioneering work in developing fully biodegradable packaging materials," says Juha Kiviranta, Sales and Marketing Director at Stora Enso Liquid and Food Service Board. The Stora Enso Cupforma board family offers biodegradable material options for drinking cups for all major end uses, such as cold and hot drinks, ice cream and yoghurt. Cupforma Classic Bio meets the compostability requirements of the EN 13432 and ASTM 6400 standards.

Biodegradable food trays made from Trayforma Performance Bio
Paperboard trays made from Trayforma Performance Bio can be used for packaging fresh and chilled foods that are not heated in their packages. Vegetables, salads and sandwiches are typical examples. All boards in Stora Enso's biodegradable board offering are approved for direct food contact.

"When it comes to brand owners, the use of biodegradable packaging is typically based on the company's core values and brand strategy. The use of natural ingredients, sustainability, purity and high quality are brand values that can be enhanced by biodegradable packaging," says Kiviranta. "Our customers in the converting industry are building biodegradable product families. Our wide selection of material options provides a good basis for that."

Patented biopolymer coating technology
Stora Enso has developed biopolymer coatings for years. "Our patented biopolymer coating technology has enabled us to develop the barrier and other material properties so that the requirements of various end use applications can be met," says Kiviranta. "Based on our experience from our long-time cooperation with cup producers, converting biopolymer-coated boards is more demanding than usual but doesn't require investments in new machinery."

Polymer coating gives the desired barrier properties for the package, protecting against oxygen, humidity, odour, taste and light and resulting in prolonged shelflife. The choice of coating depends on what kind of barrier is required. Biopolymer coatings provide an oxygen, moisture and grease barrier.

Biopolymer-coated paperboard breaks down to humus and CO2 in industrial composting. In recycling schemes, biodegradable products are primarily intended for the collection of materials for industrial composting. Collection schemes depend on local collection conditions. Stora Enso's boards can also be safely collected and recycled separately or together with other paper and board products.