STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN—Every year, more than 300 billion plastic lids—1.5 million tons of plastic—are produced. Many of them end up as litter in the world’s oceans. A Swedish collaboration between three innovative companies at the forefront of sustainability—PulPac, Liplid and MAX Burgers—is now leading the way towards replacing the traditional plastic lid with a sustainable fiber-based alternative.
As announced earlier, MAX Burgers, the first quick service restaurant chain in the world to label and compensate for the food’s impact on the environment, will start to roll out the Liplid in all their restaurants in Sweden this year.
“This has been a fantastic project, where we have adapted Liplid’s brilliant product to our technology—and will manufacture the first series of 2 million lids for Liplid. We look forward to seeing them go live at MAX Burgers,” says Sanna Fager, Chief Commercial Officer at PulPac.
Up to 80 Percent Lower CO2 Footprint
PulPac’s pioneering fiber forming technology has made it possible to make the unique lid from fiber. Dry Molded Fiber offers benefits such as structural strength, undercuts, de-nesting, advanced geometries, and unparalleled control of material thickness making it possible to produce very thin fiber products. The dry process also saves significant amounts of valuable water resources and energy, resulting in up to 80 percent lower CO2 footprint compared to alternatives. Besides the technical and environmental advantages, PulPac’s technology offers highly competitive unit economics—making it possible to replace single-use plastics at global scale.
“The world needs smart and functional alternatives to single-use plastics. Using PulPac’s innovative approach, we at Liplid produced a fully recyclable, plastic free and biodegradable cup lid with a new and unique design—bringing a new drinking experience to the market,” says Jesper Berthold, CEO at Liplid.
The unique lid is placed inside, rather than on, the cup to prevent leakage and improve the stability and drinking experience of on-the-go beverages. The innovative and climate-smart design, using 25 percent less material, has already received a great deal of international attention, including winning the 2022 World Star Packaging Awards.
