Renewable materials company Stora Enso developed a renewable paperboard for paper cups, produced without the traditional plastic coating layer, that is fully recyclable.

Paper cups may seem more sustainable than plastic or foam cups. However, they are usually lined with a plastic coating to prevent the paper from getting soggy. This coating makes cups hard to recycle.

Stora Enso now introduces renewable paperboard for paper cups, without a plastic lining. Cupforma Natura Solo, as the material is called, is said to be suitable for hot and cold drinking cups, as well as ice cream packaging, which is also usually lined to prevent the material from getting soggy when the ice defrosts. The paperboard is designed for full fibre recovery in a recycling process.

“We have been trialling Cupforma Natura Solo with our customers in Europe and have proved that it works similarly to traditional polyethylene-lined cups, so no new converting technology is needed,” Ebba Mannheimer says, Head of Business, New Barrier Solutions, Consumer Board division. “In addition, this innovative material can increase the value of used cups in recycling, as the barrier breaks down in a recycling process, and all fibres can be utilized.”

All wood fibre used by Stora is sourced from sustainably managed forests.

Photo: Stora Enso