Eco-friendly vegetable packaging 2.0 responds to consumers’ sustainability expectations

A complete turnaround for onion packaging was invented when Paptic Ltd and Marvaco Ltd joined forces to respond to a call from Puukin Tila. Paptic® fiber-based material and Marvaco Expanded Gamut Printing with Flint Group C2C Material Health certified inks made the new, truly sustainable vegetable packaging possible. In the optimized packaging, all sustainability aspects were considered, including the substrate, design, printing, and inks.

Sustainable choices keep the products fresh for longer and minimize packaging waste

Paptic® is a new fiber-based substrate to replace plastics in packaging. The lightweight material is soft, with excellent puncture and tear resistance and heat sealable properties. Katja Jokiaho, Business Development Manager from Paptic, says: “Many products are overpackaged because there are no alternatives to plastic-based solutions. Various products benefit from being packed in more breathable materials.”

“The aim was to create a simple, sustainable design for exceptionally packed onions by reducing ink consumption and the number of colours used in printing”, explains Mirva Koskinen, Brand Sales Manager at Marvaco. We minimized the number of inks to only three colours, but still, the colorful design was possible due to the process of printing. With Flint Group’s water-based offering, we were able to eliminate the use of heavy metals and minimize waste. The Cradle-to-Cradle Material Health certified inks used are also certified for OK compost. Despite the environmentally wiser choices, the desired colourful design was achieved.

Petri Puukki is satisfied with the results: “We wanted to make a difference and pack our locally produced onions in a sustainable way. The material selection keeps the onions fresh longer and the new packaging also looks fresh!” The project was completed in just a few months and the new packaging will be available in selected stores in Finland during spring 2022.

For more information, please contact: 
Katja Jokiaho, Business Development Manager, , Paptic Ltd Mirva Koskinen, Brand Sales Manager, , Marvaco Ltd

Puukin tila is a privately owned farm established in 1659. Puukin Tila grows onions and other selected vegetables in Finland. The farm values responsible approaches that also enable the tradition of local production to be passed on to future generations.

Marvaco Ltd  MARVACO is the leading packaging premedia company and flexo plate supplier in the Nordic region. The company is the leading EGP supplier in Northern Europe, and its services cover the full range of brand business artwork management and line extension creation for all packaging materials and printing methods. www.marvaco.com