Stora Enso delivers new low-carbon material for microwavable ready-meal trays

Microwavable meals are typically packed in fossil-based PET trays as the material is safe for heating. Stora Enso’s Trayforma material replaces fossil-based plastics with renewable, light-weight paperboard that significantly lowers the carbon footprint of each tray. By changing to recyclable, low-carbon trays, brand owners and retailers selling microwave ready-meals can act on circular economy commitments.

“With consumers more than ever before making sustainably conscious purchasing decisions, packaging materials play a key role in offering an eco-friendly product. Additionally, a key driver for continued growth of high-quality ready-meals is urban, small households and their search for convenience. With Stora Enso’s new material compositions, trays made with Trayforma fit the recyclability demands in a circular economy while remaining safe for microwave heating,” says Tuomas Puonti, VP, Head of Business Line LPB Fresh & FSB.

Fibre-based packaging is the most recycled material in Europe (83%), and every year European countries recycle more fibres than other materials, like plastic and glass. The new Trayforma PP by Stora Enso ensures also fibre-based trays fit existing fibre recovery and recycling systems in Europe. The material is up to 95% fiber-based and uses less than half of the barrier weight of current heatable materials.

When a biodegradable coating is used, these fibre-based trays are compostable in areas where biowaste is collected. Trayforma Bio by Stora Enso is a bio-based and biodegradable material that is certified for industrial composting, meaning it will fully biodegrade fast enough (under 12 weeks) to be recovered at industrial scale.

Trayforma ready-meal trays are available also with a PET coating when conventional heating is required.