Mark & Spencer’s first with sustainable paper pack for processed meat in UK

In spring 2010, Marks and Spencer became the British retailer to offer processed meats in paper packaging that protects the environment as well as it protects food.

The new flexible packaging used by Marks & Spencer is Flextrus PaperLite^®, which is now replacing traditional plastic packaging for a growing number of consumer products.

Marks & Spencer’s new packaging solution was developed to help re-launch their range of premium house-branded processed meat products with traditional, high-quality ingredients. It was important that the new pack solution reinforce this high-quality image as well as innovation and the environmental. Offering the natural look and feel of paper, and made from paper-based materials certified by the FSC for sourcing and manufacturing, Flextrus PaperLite^® meets growing consumer preferences for environmentally sustainable pack alternatives.

”Marks & Spencer are delighted to have launched this first-to market innovation in packaging with Flextrus. PaperLite^® gives our ham a premium look and uses only sustainable FSC-certified paper. It is important to work with innovative solution providers to develop packaging for the future, and Flextrus has supported our own innovation with their proactive approach”, says Mark Caul, Packaging Technologist at Marks & Spencer.

Flextrus PaperLite^® combines environmental benefits and business advantages. A lightweight flexible packaging with high stretch-ability, Flextrus PaperLite^® has enabled a 27% reduction in the amount of packaging being sent to Mark & Spencer stores. As important, No additional equipment investments were needed in the existing thermoforming lines of Tulip, the largest producer of pork in the UK.