Practical rather than sustainable, a hybrid board and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) tray material from Stora Enso is now being used by leading German ready meals manufacturer M+P Tiefkuhlkost.
According to the Finnish board company, M+P's Prima meal range has adopted its Trayforma material. The PET coating acts as a seal at the edges of the tray, and makes it dual ovenable.
M+P owner Michael Pauls claims: "Paperboard is a renewable and recyclable material option, unlike plastic and aluminium." But he does not explain how the two-material structure should be recycled.
A spokeswoman for Stora Enso claims the tray could be recycled in the same stream as beverage cartons. The coated board would not be compostable.