Confoil and BASF develop coated paper trays for ready-to-eat meals
Confoil and BASF have cooperated to develop a certified compostable and dual ovenable food tray based on paper. The paper tray is coated on the inside with a partly bio-based and certified compostable biopolymer especially developed for coating food packaging made of paper or board.
The trays can be used for ready-to-eat meals like lasagne, curries and stir-fries available as cold or frozen in supermarkets as well as for catering and take-away from restaurants.
They extend the end-of-life options for paper-based packaging by being organically recyclable: They can be commercially composted with the organic waste collected in organic waste bins. Thus the new packaging solution supports organics recycling of food residues and food-soiled packaging which increases the diversion of food waste from landfill and incineration.
Alternative to PET plus sustainability benefit
This new certified compostable solution is an alternative to conventional PET packaging for ready-to-eat meals: The trays can be heated in conventional ovens and microwaves, can be chilled or frozen. They show excellent barrier properties against fats, liquids and odors helping to preserve freshness and flavors.
“We wanted to create a paper-based food tray that meets all the food industries’ requirements but with the added benefit that it is certified compostable”, said Alison Buxton, CEO of Confoil. “With BASF’s certified compostable biopolymer we have found the ideal component to take the next step towards sustainable solutions in our portfolio and to help our customers reach their sustainability targets at the same time.
