Graphic Packaging International, a global leader in sustainable consumer packaging, has partnered with Elaborados Naturales, a market leader in refrigerated potato products sold at major retailers, to introduce its innovative PaperSeal™ Shape paperboard tray to the Spanish retail market.

This is the first commercialized round-shaped design of the PaperSeal Shape tray for use in traditional ovens, microwaves, and medium-sized air fryers. This optimizes consumer convenience while advancing Elaborados Naturales’ sustainability goals. The tray – which replaces a traditional plastic tray – contains less than ten percent plastic so is compliant with the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and can be recycled in household recycling streams without the need to remove the barrier liner.

Pierrick Van Hoorde, head of sales, tray & cup solutions at Graphic Packaging said: “Our goal is to make transitioning to paperboard trays from plastic trays operationally simple and commercially successful while minimizing investment. We want to help brands and retailers meet their sustainability goals, adapt to upcoming legislation, and delight their consumers with packaging that is more circular, more functional, and more convenient. We truly believe that PaperSeal Shape and our whole paperboard tray portfolio are game changers in this regard.

“Working in close collaboration with our friends at Elaborados Naturales, we have optimized the tray to meet their exacting standards for food safety, quality, and packaging circularity. This launch showcases what is possible through true collaborative innovation. I thank the team at Elaborados Naturales for their passion and commitment to our shared vision.”

The Graphic Packaging team worked with Elaborades Naturales to engineer the hermetic seal to meet the seal integrity standards required by the company, ensuring the finished pack would keep the contents as fresh as in the plastic alternative. The double-flanged structure of the PaperSeal Shape tray provides superior rigidity, ensuring it can travel through the supply chain and reach the consumer’s home in great condition, minimizing food waste.

The intelligent structural design of the tray and careful material selection allowed the development team to optimize material usage and enable the tray to run on the customer’s existing packaging lines, minimizing capital investment.

The new solution packages two SKUs. The first, Patatas Kebab, was successfully launched in the Valencia area at the end of August and is now set to be rolled out nationally. The second, Patatas Bravas, launched nationwide in November.

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PaperSeal ist ein eingetragenes Warenzeichen von G. Mondini.