Parliament voting to significantly cut plastic bag use by 2019, BillerudKorsnäs has launched two new families of paper for use in carriers for the food and retail sectors. The products offer outstanding value, quality, and flexibility and are produced from renewable raw materials. The fact that they are biodegradable means they pose far less of a threat to waterways than plastics.BillerudKorsnäs has launched two new paper product families, aimed at meeting growing demand for paper bags and carriers within the retail and food sectors. The Xpression and Basix product lines both offer outstanding strength, printability and environmental credentials, but are carefully designed for use in distinct applications.
The Xpression range of high-quality kraft paper products is suitable for use in paper carriers produced for use in retail and in other sectors. Papers in the range offer benefits across the value chain. They allow for outstanding colour and text reproduction during printing and enable brand owners to produce strong, durable and appealing carrier bags that reflect on their brands in the best possible way.
The Basix range of kraft paper, meanwhile, is intended for use in consumer bags that provide protection for food, or that are used in other daily applications. The range consists of stiff papers with an even quality that allows for effective and functional conversion as well as easy-to-use end products. The papers boast good printability, and grease-resistant variants are available for paper bags that come into close contact with greasy food, such as Danish pastries and French fries.
Marcus Lager, Business Segment Director at BillerudKorsnäs, says there has been an increase in demand for quality paper products, particularly in Europe where tough measures have been introduced to reduce the use of plastic bags and plastic carrier bags.
In April, the European Parliament voted in favour of new targets that will force nations within the EU to reduce plastic bag use by 80 per cent before 2019," Lager says. "Many consumers have also expressed a strong preference for sustainable, non-plastic alternatives, both in retail and food retail situations."
Luigi Fiorini, President of global packaging manufacturer Fiorini International, says a major advantage of the Xpression and Basix ranges is their strong environmental credentials. BillerudKorsnäs is recognised as an industry leader in terms of sustainability and environmental focus.
Patrik Bosander, Business Development Director at BillerudKorsnäs, says, "The independent research body IVL Svenska Miljöinstitutet (IVL Swedish Environmental Institute) conducted climate change impact studies on all the products manufactured in three of our Swedish paper mills. The results showed that our products had a very small carbon footprint. This is due to the paper being made from renewable raw material from sustainable forestry, as well to our investments in environmentally effective technology."
