Imatra, Finland

Nestle, one of the world's leading confectionary and food manufacturers, has approved Enso Performa for use with its After Eight chocolate range. The packaging board manufactured by Enso Paperboards in Finland meets the quality criteria laid out by Nestle, said Joachim Soditt, head of its packaging development department.

Production in Germany of After Eight in its 400g-pack now uses Performa for its outer printed carton. The range is a bleached mineral coated board containing CTMP and aimed specifically at cartons for high-quality packaging such as confectionery, food and cigarettes. In this application, paperboard of 255 grams per sq. m. paperboard is used compared to the previous alternative material of 280 grams per sq. m.

Testing a new packaging material often takes as long as the expected life of the product, which in the case of chocolate can be several months. "We must be careful when changing any aspect of our products," explained Soditt. "There are so many factors to be considered-different components can interreact. Inks and varnishes, glues and packaging material. At least 20 different parts of the specification are important."

Usually a board manufacturer has limited contact with the end-user, but according to Soditt, there are several long-term benefits of dealing directly with the board manufacturer as well as the converter. "We can pass on information directly," he said. "Enso gets a better understanding of our production needs. In the longer term, we can get a more tailored product with everyone talking to each other."

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