You know those black plastic trays your microwave meals come in? They're made from fossil-based plastic and end up in landfills or incinerators. A European consortium led by packaging giant Huhtamaki figured out how to make the same tray from wood pulp and plant-based plastics — so it's fully biodegradable after use, over 80% less CO2 to produce, and actually lighter than the old version. They tested it across the full supply chain, from raw cellulose all the way to supermarket shelves in the UK.
Every year, billions of fossil-based plastic ready meal trays (CPET) end up incinerated or in landfills. Retailers and food producers face growing regulatory pressure, rising plastic taxes, and consumer demand for sustainable packaging — but alternatives so far have failed to match the heat resistance, moisture barrier, and shelf performance that ready meals require. Companies need a drop-in replacement that actually works in real supply chains, not just in a lab.
The consortium built and demonstrated a fully bio-based, fully biodegradable ready meal tray made from DuraPulp (a patented cellulose and GMO-free PLA composite) laminated with BioPBS biofilm. They tested it across the complete value chain — from raw material production through packaging manufacturing to in-store consumer demonstrations with a UK meal packer serving high-end retailers.
If you are a retailer or meal producer dealing with mounting plastic packaging waste and consumer backlash against single-use plastics — this project developed a fully bio-based, fully biodegradable ready meal tray that is at least 10% lighter than conventional CPET trays and cuts CO2 emissions by more than 80%. The tray was tested in a real retail supply chain with a UK meal packer and high-end retailers.
If you are an airline caterer struggling with cabin waste regulations and the cost of disposing thousands of single-use meal trays per flight — this project created a cellulose-PLA composite tray with heat and wet resistance suitable for catering operations. The packaging is 100% biodegradable, eliminating the need for separate plastic waste streams and potentially reducing waste handling costs.
If you are a meals-on-wheels or care home catering service looking to reduce your environmental footprint — this project demonstrated a biodegradable ready meal tray with low oxygen barrier properties that keeps food fresh. At more than 80% CO2 reduction versus fossil-based alternatives, it gives your service a measurable sustainability story for public procurement bids.
The project aimed to demonstrate techno-economic viability but specific per-unit cost data is not available in the public project records. As an Innovation Action with a full value chain from raw material supplier (Södra) to packaging producer (Huhtamaki Lurgan), the consortium was specifically tasked with building the business case for large-scale commercial introduction.
The consortium included Huhtamaki, one of the world's largest food packaging manufacturers, with both their technology division (Netherlands) and production facility (UK) involved. The project's stated end-goal was to gather evidence for a large-scale commercial market introduction and flagship investment plan. Based on available project data, the production technology uses existing molded fiber infrastructure with a new lamination step.
The DuraPulp material (cellulose + GMO-free PLA composite) is described as patented. Huhtamaki Molded Fibre Technology BV coordinated the project and is the technology provider. Licensing or supply arrangements would need to go through Huhtamaki and potentially Södra, the raw material supplier.
The tray was designed with specific technical properties including low oxygen barrier, heat resistance, and wet resistance — all required for food-contact packaging. The project targeted 100% bio-based and 100% biodegradable certification. Based on available project data, regulatory compliance testing was part of the demonstration scope.
The project ran from February 2017 to July 2020 and is now closed. As a Horizon 2020 Innovation Action, it was focused on near-market demonstration rather than early research. The consortium planned in-store cooking demonstrations to test consumer acceptance with real shoppers.
Based on available project data, the technology uses molded fiber production (Huhtamaki's core capability) combined with a new lamination method using BioPBS biofilm. This suggests existing molded fiber lines would need a lamination upgrade rather than complete replacement. Specific retrofit requirements are not detailed in the public data.
The FRESH consortium of 5 partners across 4 countries (France, Netherlands, Sweden, UK) was deliberately assembled as a complete supply chain. Södra (Sweden) supplies the raw cellulose, Huhtamaki Molded Fibre Technology (Netherlands) provides the core technology, Huhtamaki Lurgan (UK) handles packaging production, and Samworth/SaladWorks (UK) is the meal packer with access to high-end UK retailers. This is not an academic exercise — there are no universities or research institutes in the consortium. The coordinator, Huhtamaki, is a global packaging company with over 18,000 employees, meaning this technology sits inside an organization that can actually scale it commercially.
Huhtamaki Molded Fiber Technology BV, Netherlands — contact through SciTransfer for warm introduction
Want to explore bio-based packaging for your food products? SciTransfer can connect you with the FRESH consortium team and provide a detailed technology brief. Contact us for a no-obligation conversation.
