Stora Enso has updated its Trayforma portfolio by introducing the new unbleached Trayforma Brown and cutting basis weights across the range.

The lighter Trayforma maintains the same strength, forming characteristics and converting performance as the current board while requiring less raw material.

The company added that lower material use per tray can raise yield across the value chain while reduced board weight may help cut the carbon footprint linked to production and transport.

Trayforma Brown has been added as an option for tray packaging with a natural-looking finish.

The product meets the same technical requirements as other Trayforma grades. Stora Enso describes it as the first brown tray board designed for oven heating, enduring temperatures of up to 220°C when used with a transparent PET coating.

The grade is also offered with a high-barrier BarrPeel option for vacuum-skin packaging.

Both products use a three-ply construction with CTMP in the middle layer.

According to the company, this structure allows the basis weight to be reduced without decreasing board thickness.

Trayforma Brown is suitable for ready meals, bakery products, and chilled and frozen foods.

Trayforma technical account manager Jaana Tani said: "For our customers, the natural look of brown board is increasingly relevant, but not at the cost of performance.

"With Trayforma Brown, they don't have to make that trade-off. And with our advancements in lightweighting Trayforma, everyone in the value chain benefits from better yield.”

Earlier this month, Austria’s Dunapack Packaging agreed to acquire Stora Enso’s corrugated packaging operations in Germany. 

The deal includes Gaster Wellpappe, Wellpappe Sausenheim and PTI Packmitteltechnik, along with their sites in south-west Germany.