UPM Raflatac Helps Enhance Packaging Recyclability with New Labels Guide E-Book

Inspired by the Venus Flytrap plant, design students from Brobygrafiska claimed this year’s Gold Award in the Swedish leg of PIDA (Packaging Impact Design Award) with their inventive packaging solution for a set of drink mixer flavours called “Bite Botanical Bitters”. The team, comprising Herman Rydholm, Sofi Hansson and Julia Abrahamsson, impressed the jury with their deft use of “shape and colour that really catches our attention.” “We’re in shock!” says Herman Rydholm. “Very surprising. Actually, we started out with an idea of a pyramid shape, but it lacked colour so we thought we had to change. We happened to think of the Venus Flytrap and that was it. We got both colour and shape.” At PIDA, design students from universities and colleges from seven countries compete with their creative packaging designs. The competition is divided into five separate events: the USA, Sweden, France/Belgium, the UK, China, and Germany/Austria. The winners of the Gold Award at each event will meet in a Grand Finale at Luxe Pack Monaco in October.

UPM Specialty Papers is excited to announce that the breakthrough oneBARRIER FibreCycle structure will be on display at Interpack 2023. This innovative high-barrier packaging provides a sustainable, recyclable, paper-based alternative to the multi-laminate plastic structures commonly used for long shelf-life products. Just as importantly, it can be recycled in existing fibre recycling streams. oneBARRIER FiberCycle represents the kind of packaging the world needs right now, enabling brand owners to reduce their reliance on fossil-based or non-recyclable materials, increase their use of renewable materials, and meet their sustainability targets. Working closely with leading experts across the world, UPM Specialty Papers is co-creating a more sustainable future through fibre-based, recyclable packaging materials. oneBARRIER FiberCycle is the result of a multi-year project in partnership with BOBST, one of the leading suppliers of substrate processing, printing and converting machinery, and Michelman, a developer of high barrier water-based coatings for packaging applications. By uniting their expertise from across the food packaging value chain, the group set out to create a recyclable paper-based packaging solution for foods with a long shelf-life. UPM Solide LucentTM offered an ideal basis for the development work. As a dense, smooth, and strong base paper, it is ideal for lightweight and uniform coatings. BOBST supplied the AluBond technology – an aluminium coating one-thousandth the thickness of a human hair and Michelman was responsible for the integrated coating system that provides priming, barrier properties and heat seal. Together these solutions have proved to be a powerful combination, resulting in a transformative approach to safeguarding food products with a long shelf-life, such as coffee, instant soup and sauce powder packets, spices, or milk powders.

Light Wrap, which has been specifically designed as a wraparound for cartons such as milk and juice cartons, offers a clever design that improves packaging while using less fibre. This results in a remarkable 19% reduction in CO₂ emissions compared to current, alternative packaging methods. Not only does Light Wrap effectively support the weight of stacked packs during transportation and at the point of sale, but it also ensures the safe transportation of cartons without any damage or deformation. By using 19% less paper fibre than other solutions, the innovative design not only minimises environmental impact but also improves protection, efficiency and packaging costs.