Stora Enso and Picadeli, Europe’s leading take-away salad bar company, are introducing renewable formed fiber lids to replace single-use plastics in take-away packaging. The lids are made of PureFiber by Stora Enso, and they are plastic-free, recyclable, and biodegradable. The innovation will help Picadeli reduce approximately 120 tonnes of plastic waste annually.

“Our strategic aim is to grow with sustainable, scalable, and innovative packaging solutions. We do this by supporting strong forerunner brands such as Picadeli in meeting the growing consumer demand for plastic-free and circular solutions. A salad bowl lid is a good example of an everyday single-use plastic item that can make an important difference on climate footprint when replaced by a sustainable alternative,” says Sohrab Kazemahvazi, Sales Volume Points formed fiber at Stora Enso.

Packaging accounts for 40% of the world’s plastics, most of which are made from fossil oil. The carbon footprint of the PureFiber lid is up to 75% lower compared to alternative materials such as plastic or bagasse. PureFiber products are produced from wood-based formed fiber using green energy. They contain no plastic, no per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or any other forever chemicals. The lids provide a good user experience and tightly seal the food inside. The new formed fiber lids will be available for consumers at Picadeli salad bars starting March 2022.

“Food and sustainability have been much discussed in recent years but knowing how to make choices that are both healthy and come with a low carbon footprint is not always easy,” says David von Laskowski, group chief executive officer at Picadeli. “We work continuously to make tasty, sustainable, and healthy fast food more accessible. Launching the formed fiber lid will further reduce our carbon footprint, supporting our business strategy for sustainability.”

PureFiber can be used in a wide range of applications including single-use food packaging items such as plastic-free cups, bowls, clamshells, plates, and lids. PureFiber can also be used to replace plastic packaging for other industries, such as in agriculture, electronics, and cosmetics. Formed fiber is a growth business for Stora Enso, and the group recently announced expansion of its formed fiber production capacity in Europe. The fiber raw material comes from sustainably managed forests.