Huhtamaki introduces Smilepack, a 100% plastic free molded fiber egg carton, in the United States and Brazil. Smilepack cartons are Huhtamaki’s first product designed especially for the U.S. egg industry, providing a sustainable and functional alternative to traditional polystyrene foam or plastic packaging for eggs. In the United States, the egg packaging market is expected to reach $405 MN at a CAGR of 4.38% by 2025*. The Smilepack egg cartons are made with fiber recovered from recycled paper, which can be reused up to seven times. The cartons can be recycled in regular paper stream and they are home and industrially compostable. Smilepack is already in use in the U.S. by a prominent producer and distributor of free-range eggs, whose products are sold in retail stores across the country. It is estimated that by switching to fiber packaging, this company will eliminate around 4.6 million plastic egg cartons, or around 200 metric tons of plastic annually.

LEIPA Group CEO Peter Probst: “We look forward to growing successfully with our customers and partners. The demand for White Top Liner remains consistently high and the trend is rising. Prices are at a high level as well. These factors result in excellent conditions for the market launch of the PM 5.” As an international market leader LEIPA will have developed a one-stop shop for their customers with the PM 3 and PM 5, offering an annual total capacity of 700,000 tons of coated and uncoated White Top Testliner. Christian Schürmann, COO of LEIPA Georg Leinfelder GmbH said: “The entire project team has done a great job rebuilding the PM 5. We will produce a state-of-the-art testliner on this machine – the world’s most powerful of its kind – and start with our first deliveries in April.” Click Read More below for additional information.

Huhtamaki, a key advanced manufacturer of sustainable packaging solutions for consumers around the world, has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Jiangsu Hihio-Art Packaging Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of paper bags, wraps and folding carton packaging in China. The company currently serves international quick-service restaurants (QSR) as well as national bakery chains. With this acquisition, Huhtamaki continues to strengthen its position as the leading foodservice packaging provider in Asia and expands its product portfolio in China allowing it to better serve its existing and new customers in this exciting growth market. Jiangsu Hihio-Art Packaging Co. Ltd. currently employs approximately 200 people in its manufacturing unit in Xuzhou city, Jiangsu. Employees will be offered an opportunity to continue to work for Huhtamaki after the transaction is closed. In 2020 the annual net sales of the privately owned business were approximately EUR 20 million. Following the acquisition, Huhtamaki will have altogether four manufacturing units in China: in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Xuzhou.