{"id":12324,"date":"2026-05-12T12:34:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T10:34:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/subba.eu\/paper-food-trays-the-eco-friendly-breakthrough-in-food-packaging\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T15:57:50","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T13:57:50","slug":"paper-food-trays-the-eco-friendly-breakthrough-in-food-packaging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/subba.eu\/en\/paper-food-trays-the-eco-friendly-breakthrough-in-food-packaging\/","title":{"rendered":"Paper food trays: the eco-friendly breakthrough in food packaging"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In recent years, paper food trays have made a decisive entry into the food packaging market, becoming one of the most concrete alternatives to traditional plastic. From fresh fish to dairy products, from meat to ready meals: paper packaging is establishing itself as a sustainable, functional and visually appealing solution.<\/p>\n\n

But what makes paper trays truly suited to the food industry? And which packaging technologies are needed to process them at their best?<\/p>\n

\n

The advantages of paper packaging<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

Paper trays offer a series of concrete benefits compared with traditional plastic packaging:<\/p>\n\n

    \n
  • Reduced environmental impact: they are made from renewable materials and are compostable or recyclable with paper, significantly reducing the carbon footprint of the packaging.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Regulatory compliance: they are already aligned with the requirements of the new European PPWR Regulation, which aims to progressively phase out non-recyclable packaging by 2030.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Versatility: available in different formats and thicknesses, they are suitable for fresh, chilled and even frozen products when combined with the right inner coatings.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Consumer perception: paper packaging is associated with quality, craftsmanship and respect for the environment \u2014 an important added value in brand communication.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    \n

    Technical challenges not to be underestimated<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

    Processing paper trays requires specific machinery and different settings compared with plastic packaging. The main technical aspects are:<\/p>\n\n

      \n
    • Sealing and tightness: paper requires different sealing parameters (temperature, pressure, time) to ensure a secure hermetic seal, which is essential for foods in a modified atmosphere (MAP) or under vacuum.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Dimensional stability: unlike plastic, paper is more sensitive to moisture; it is therefore necessary to choose materials with barrier coatings suited to the product category.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Production speed: lines must be calibrated to maintain high production rates without compromising the integrity of the packaging.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n

      The technological solutions available<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

      Latest-generation tray sealers such as those from Subba’s partners make it possible to process paper trays with the same efficiency as traditional plastic lines. Modern machines feature:<\/p>\n\n

        \n
      • Automatic sealing-parameter adjustment systems based on the material<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Compatibility with recyclable mono-material films for sealing<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Quick format changeover to maximise production flexibility<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n

        The result is a packaging line that is sustainable, efficient and fully compliant with current regulations \u2014 and with those that will come into force in the coming years.<\/p>\n\n

        Want to assess whether paper trays are the right solution for your company? Subba offers a free consultation to analyse your production lines and identify the most suitable technology.<\/p>\n\n

        <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        In recent years, paper food trays have made a decisive entry into the food packaging market, becoming one of the most concrete alternatives to traditional plastic. From fresh fish to dairy products, from meat to ready meals: paper packaging is establishing…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12325,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sustainability"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/subba.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/subba.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/subba.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/subba.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/subba.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12324"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/subba.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12326,"href":"https:\/\/subba.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12324\/revisions\/12326"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/subba.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/subba.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/subba.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/subba.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}