29 Mar 2022 Introducing Liplid, an innovative sustainable fibre-based coffee lid
Efforts continue to find sustainable alternatives to the 300-billion per annum single-use coffee cup lids, with news of an award-winning development out of Sweden.
A Swedish collaboration between three innovative companies committed to sustainability – PulPac, Liplid and MAX Burgers – is now leading the way towards replacing the traditional plastic lid with a sustainable fibre-based alternative.
“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.
PulPac’s pioneering fibre-forming technology has made it possible to make the unique lid from fibre.
Dry molded fibre offers benefits such as structural strength, undercuts, de-nesting, advanced geometries, and unparalleled control of material thickness making it possible to produce very thin fibre products.
The dry process also saves significant amounts of valuable water resources and energy, resulting in up to 80% lower CO2 footprint compared to alternatives. It is up to ten times as efficient as conventional fibre molding invented over 100 years ago.
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 have 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, a licensing and innovation company.
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% less material, has already received a great deal of international attention, including winning a 2022 World Star Packaging Award.
MAX Burgers, a quick service restaurant chain, will start to roll out the Liplid in all their restaurants in Sweden this year.
MAX currently has 141 restaurants in Sweden, 16 in Poland, seven in Norway, four in Denmark and three in Egypt. The Sustainable Brand Index, Europe’s largest brand study on sustainability, has named MAX the winner in the “Restaurant, Cafés & Take-away” category for the twelfth consecutive year.
Source: Pulpac