Jan 31 2012 --- Several trends in consumer packaging are currently favouring use of board as packaging material for chocolates. The strongest and most obvious is the trend to increase sustainability in the chocolate value chain. This improves the position of carton board with light-weight barrier layers, while use of fossil based package materials and metal foils is becoming less popular, says Wilfried Schmahl, Sales Director at Stora Enso Renewable Packaging in Germany.

Another clearly visible trend especially in more affluent European countries is producing packages of smaller size, which brings to market a greater variety of carton boxes.

A third trend is the need for new shapes and new types of package construction design, recently exemplified by a thrilling ring-shaped chocolate package made of Performa Bright board, which was introduced by A&R Carton in Germany.

Stora Enso Renewable Packaging continues to offer the highest-performing products for the chocolate and confectionery market and has recently launched enhanced versions of the Performa White, Performa Bright and Performa Cream carton boards. Thanks to innovative reforms made at Stora Enso Fors Mill in Sweden, these products now come with excellent smoothness, increased strength and an enhanced visual appearance. 

"By listening to both printers and brand owners we focused our development work on the key properties of strength and printability. This input from our customers was combined with the capabilities of the rebuilt board machine", says Eva Lundqvist, Product Manager at Fors Mill. "Feedback from commercial trials was extremely positive. The printability has improved considerably, thanks to the board's enhanced coating and smoothness. Increased strength has had a positive effect on the board's runnability and overall performance."

Ideal for many different end uses

Thanks to their excellent odour and taint neutrality, the Performa boards are the leading brand for chocolate and confectionery packaging, an end-use segment where they have been used for years. With its improved smoothness and better visual appearance, Performa White is a suitable choice even for the demands of cosmetics and beauty care packaging.

In the pharmaceutical packaging area the Performa products are widely used and match the segment's specific needs for outstanding printability, high strength and cleanliness. In the graphics industry, Performa White is used for book covers and greeting cards. Upgraded Performa products are also compatible for use in demanding rotogravure printing, which requires a high-quality printing surface.

The quality improvements made to the Performa product family are based on several technical innovations implemented at Stora Enso Fors Mill during 2011.   The enhanced board products are now available to customers.