Santa Maria tortillas save plastics with new packaging from Flextrus
Paulig, owner of the Santa Maria brand, actively strives to reduce their environmental impact and has worked together with Flextrus, a member of AR Packaging, for a few years to develop packaging which protects the products while minimizing its environmental impact.
It’s not easy to develop a material to package soft tortilla, especially not Santa Maria’s since their tortillas are made without preservatives. This means they are more sensitive; if not packed in a thoroughly evaluated and optimised packaging they will mould. So, after about a year and a half filled with a lot of testing of different lidding films and base webs, the right combination of materials is finally here!
The new packaging is made of a lidding film based on unbleached paper which is coated with tailored barrier material to secure the shelf life of the tortillas and thereby minimise food waste. The base web is a combination of environmentally sound plastics to ensure product protection with efficient use of material. Since the packaging now is based on paper, which is a renewable source, the carbon footprint is reduced by 35%* in comparison to the former packaging. And substituting plastics with paper means that Santa Maria will reduce its plastic consumption by 150 tons per year!
Flextrus has put a lot of effort into the development of the new tortilla packaging. Sales Manager Mattias Söderholm comments; “We have jointly done a great job to make this happen. Several departments and different areas of expertise have been heavily engaged in the project to make sure to deliver a great packaging for the consumer.”
The now launched packaging is a good achievement so far, but both parties are working hard to find an even smarter solution. Anders Jonebring, R&D Director at Paulig says: “This new packaging for our tortilla is an important milestone in our sustainability work. However, we continue to strive for even greater, sustainable innovations. We are already investigating solutions that will make our packaging even better. As of now, we celebrate saving 150 tonnes of plastics per year and want to thank our supplier Flextrus for their contribution in making this happen.”
*Comparison done by IVL Svenska Miljöinstitutet (Swedish Environmental Institute)
For further information about the packaging solution:
Mattias Söderholm, Sales Manager, +46 733 25 73 04, mattias.soderholm@flextrus.com
Ingrid Lidbäck, Group Marketing Manager, ingrid.lidback@ar-packaging.com
Press contact for the Santa Maria brand:
Eva Berglie, Communications Manager, Paulig Scandinavia & Central Europe
+46 708 99 19 37, eva.berglie@paulig.com
Flextrus – a bright world of packaging
Our customers market, protect and preserve their products in the best possible way using flexible packaging with advanced barrier properties. They have high requirements associated with their products and brands, and need packaging materials with the desired feel, appearance and functional properties. As one of the leaders in flexible packaging in Northern Europe, we supply environmentally responsible materials for food and healthcare packaging. We take a step closer to our customers and participate in their development in a structured manner. Flextrus has a turnover of 115 million EUR and 320 committed employees. We have local sales representation close to our customers and operate three plants in Sweden and one in UK. Flextrus is a member of AR Packaging. www.flextrus.com
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