Whether in a café, a hotel, or a cafeteria, sugar is often served in small sticks and sachets. These single serving packages usually contain a plastic layer that makes up as much as a quarter of the material.
Specialty paper manufacturer delfort now offers an alternative: “We’ve designed packaging paper for sugar with future needs in mind – it consists of more than 95 percent paper. This helps reduce packaging costs,” says Markus Rothböck, head of the Packaging division at delfort.
In several European countries, companies that place packaging on the market are already required to pay Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees for the disposal and recycling of packaging waste. Under the new EU Packaging Regulation PPWR, eco-modulation is expected to place greater emphasis on recyclability. As a result, packaging that is easier to recycle may benefit from lower EPR fees, while packaging with lower recyclability may be subject to higher fees. “This is exactly where our papers show their potential,” says Rothböck. “Because they consist of more than 95 percent paper, they can be recycled within established paper recycling streams according to the CEPI method.” By switching from conventional paper-PE laminates (40 g/m² paper combined with 10 or 12 g/m² PE) to selected delfort papers, companies can significantly reduce their EPR fees: in Belgium, for example, under the current fee model of the Belgian packaging take-back system Fost plus, fees can be up to 98 percent lower compared to composite structures that do not meet the CEPI criteria for recyclability. This turns a regulatory requirement into a tangible economic advantage. The exact amount of the savings depends on the specific country and the individual packaging.
Paper-based sugar sachets are gaining momentum
The EU Packaging Regulation also tightens certain rules: Starting in 2030, the use of single serving plastic packaging in the restaurant and hotel industry will be restricted or even completely prohibited, depending on the specific application. Paper packaging containing less than five percent plastic will not be affected by these measures. “Companies that make the switch today can align with upcoming requirements at an early stage and position themselves for the future with our paper solutions,” says Rothböck.
Reliable operation on existing packaging lines: Sugar sticks from delfort
A delfort customer has already tested how these papers perform in everyday use with thinbarrier fit and thinbarrier fit natural: “The papers integrated seamlessly into our existing production environment and performed reliably on our packaging lines at the usual operating speeds, without any modifications or additional investments.” Furthermore, significantly lower temperatures were required to seal the sticks and sachets compared to conventional packaging.
