Anyone who has ever walked the baking aisle at a supermarket knows what happens when packaging isn’t dust-tight. Flour, sugar and even pasta can get all over the shelf.

Most dry foods are packaged in conventional paper with poor adhesive sealing, which allows small food particles to migrate between air gaps during the filling process, leading to product leakage. While it’s annoying to many shoppers, for companies, it also means product loss and packaging that’s vulnerable to invasion by pests.

Brand managers of dry foods seeking to enhance their brands might opt for plastic packaging or polymer-lined packaging for its greater product protection and convenience. But these options come at a price: While plastic bags are leak-proof, they leave a permanent eco-footprint, making them undesirable for environmentally conscious consumers.

However, new mono-material paper developed by BillerudKorsnäs offers a new option: the world’s first truly dust-tight sealed paper packaging. The packaging enables manufacturers to provide consumers with a natural packaging alternative to plastic that is both recyclable and biodegradable.

The mono-material paper used for this application is more durable than conventional paper while retaining the sustainable properties of paper. It is composed of a unique blend of short and long fibers from sustainably managed Scandinavian forests.

It also offers a 65 percent lower carbon footprint compared to corresponding plastic bags, and it lowers potential packaging waste fees.

For more information:

Henrik Andén, BillerudKorsnäs,
+46-8-553 335 00, www.billerudkorsnas.com.