To launch its novel PaperSeal Shape paperboard tray in the Spanish retail market, Graphic Packaging International, a significant player in sustainable consumer packaging, has teamed up with Elaborados Naturales, a market leader in refrigerated potato products distributed at major stores.

This is the first round PaperSeal Shape tray design to be commercially available for use in conventional ovens, microwaves, and medium-sized air fryers. It enhances customer convenience while furthering Elaborados Naturales’ environmental objectives. Because it includes less than 10% plastic, the tray satisfies the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and may be recycled in home recycling streams without requiring the barrier liner to be removed. It is a replacement for a conventional plastic tray.

“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,” Pierrick Van Hoorde, head of sales, tray & cup solutions at Graphic Packaging, said.

To ensure that the final pack would keep the contents as fresh as the plastic substitute, the Graphic Packaging team collaborated with Elaborades Naturales to create the hermetic seal to meet the company’s seal integrity standards. The PaperSeal Shape tray’s double-flanged shape reduces food waste by offering exceptional rigidity, guaranteeing that it may pass through the supply chain and arrive at the customer’s house in excellent condition.

Thanks to the tray’s clever structural design and careful material selection, the development team minimized capital investment by optimizing material usage. The tray can also operate on the customer’s current packaging lines.

There are two SKUs in the new solution. After a successful premiere in the Valencia region at the end of August, the first, Patatas Kebab, is now scheduled to be introduced nationwide. In November, Patatas Bravas, the second, was introduced countrywide.