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Designed for enjoying dairy and snack products away from home, the spoon, a joint venture between Greiner Packaging and Cardbox Packaging, is right on track with both the convenience and sustainability trends: Consumers want food solutions that are easy to prepare and can also be enjoyed on the go – and they also want the food’s packaging and cutlery to be as user and eco-friendly as possible. Cutlery made of renewable resources such as paperboard, which is 100% recyclable in the paper recycling loop, taps into these exact trends.
Smart and sturdy paperboard design
Folded just once, the sturdy paperboard spoon has a length of 10 cm, which gives it the perfect shape and size to conveniently consume dairy products, desserts, fruit, or various types of salad on the go. Due to its smart folding style and a shape that resembles a bank card, the spoon is easy to use on the spot. The paperboard spoon is made from virgin fibers and is therefore approved for contact with food, while a water-based coating on the paperboard ensures the spoon can be safely used while eating. But customers can still have branding and a great look with this spoon, too. Custom printing is always available starting at a minimum order quantity. This process naturally uses special food-safe inks and coatings that meet the highest standard for food products.
The completely recyclable alternative
Once used, the folding paperboard spoon can be simply disposed of with other wastepaper. A water-based coating selected for the spoon makes it ideal for recycling in the standard paper recycling stream. Combining it with a top cup made of r-PET and polypropylene (PP) sealing film that can be fully removed from the lid results in a sustainable packaging solution with an excellent recycling profile: To access the spoon, the PP film is automatically separated from the lid. This ensures that the individual packaging components are 100% recyclable when correctly disposed of.
A key contribution toward a circular economy
The new paperboard spoon meets Greiner Packaging’s requirements for sustainability perfectly. The plastics experts are committed to the concept of a circular economy that aims to use plastic as sparingly as possible. When the paperboard spoon – which is made of renewable resources itself – needs to be disposed of, it is simply recycled in the paper loop. “We are delighted that more and more partners and customers want to work on sustainable packaging solutions with us. Developing recyclable packaging solutions not only makes sense for the environment but also offers commercial advantages. We are proud to play our part in advancing a circular economy with developments such as the paperboard spoon,” says Konrad Wasserbauer, circular economy director at Greiner Packaging. The paperboard packaging experts at Cardbox Packaging are also proud of the partners’ product innovation: “We were able to pool our expertise as we worked to develop the paperboard spoon, achieving a result that meets consumers’ expectations as well as doing something positive for our environment,” Florian Scharl, managing director at Cardbox Packaging, is pleased to note.
