Orkla Suomi forms industry partnership for Panda Milk Chocolate paper packaging
Panda Maitosuklaa 2025 B
A major environmental move has been put forward by Finnish snacking brand Orkla Suomi, after it unveiled a new six-month paper based packaging pilot scheme for its Panda Milk Chocolate series, writes Neill Barston.
According to the company, its latest wrapper is based on UPM Asendo Pro 75 g/m2 barrier paper, which has suitable grease barrier properties for its designated product range, which remains a core factor for practical delivery of confectionery.
As our title has previously covered, paper-based packaging has been explored by a number of brands including Nestle and Mars, though as industry insiders acknowledge, while paper packaging holds key potential, it is not universally suitable for all forms of confectionery.
Orkla has teamed up with UPM Specialty Papers, with the more environmentally mindful new wrappers replacing traditionally used PP-plastic wrappers. Milk chocolate bars in new packages are now available in stores across Finland.
Moreover, as the business explained, a cold seal lacquer, which has been applied to sealing areas, allows the paper-based package to be sealed on Orkla Suomi’s existing flowpack packaging machines, which are normally used to pack products in plastic. UPM Asendo Pro is certified for food safety (BfR, FDA), and the new packaging solution has undergone extensive testing, including shelf-life tests.
Arja Laitinen, Packaging Developer at Orkla Snacks commented: “At Orkla Suomi, we want to make everyday life better with local brands that bring joy and make sustainable choices easier. Our products are a combination of tradition, innovation, and sustainability. A great example of our ongoing efforts to replace fossil-based materials with renewable alternatives is the new paper-based chocolate tablet packaging, developed in collaboration with UPM and printing house Walki Westpak. We will pilot this paper-based packaging with Panda Milk Chocolate in spring 2025 to gather insights and experiences from the new solution.”
As the company added, it had sought to find a solution of meeting its targets of increasing the share of renewable packaging materials without compromising recyclability. UPM only sources fibres from sustainably managed forests, where forest regeneration is ensured. UPM Asendo Pro has been validated as recyclable (PTS method RH 021/97, cat II) in existing fibre recycling streams, which are widely available to consumers in Finland and in Europe. 83% of paper and cardboard packaging is recycled in Europe (Eurostat, 2021).
“Chocolate can be a challenging product to package in paper, due to its relatively high grease level. However, UPM has a solid product portfolio, extensive experience and the broad partner network needed to support the transition to recyclable paper-based packaging. Therefore, we are able to help converters and brands like Orkla Suomi with their packaging sustainability ambitions and to speed up the time to market of new packaging solutions,” said Kirsi Lahtela, Senior Manager, Product Portfolio Management, UPM Specialty Papers.
Traditionally, plastic or a paper-plastic laminate has been used in packaging to guarantee shelf-life, ensure food protection and to keep grease from penetrating the package material. Thanks to the in-built barrier protection provided by UPM Asendo Pro packaging paper, no additional plastic layer is required.