Eco-Friendly Packaging Alternative: Ahlstrom’s Cristal® Transparent Papers Pass Chemical Safety Evaluation

Eco-Friendly Packaging Alternative: Ahlstrom’s Cristal® Transparent Papers Pass Chemical Safety Evaluation

(IN BRIEF) Ahlstrom has announced that its Cristal® Transparent Packaging Papers have met ChemFORWARD’s SAFER™ program’s rigorous evaluation criteria of human and environmental safety. This program evaluates products for their sustainability and safety, and the designation is given only to products that meet specific safety requirements. Cristal® transparent papers are an eco-friendly alternative to non-renewable materials and are suitable for use in packaging or creating a fully fiber-based end-use structure. These papers are designed to be recyclable and certified by third-party organizations, offering solutions for window packaging, sachets, bags, and more.

(PRESS RELEASE) HELSINKI, 29-Mar-2023 — /EuropaWire/ —  Ahlstrom, a global leader in fiber-based materials founded in 1851, is proud to announce that its Cristal® Transparent Packaging Papers have met the rigorous evaluation criteria of ChemFORWARD’s SAFER™ program, which evaluates products based on human and environmental safety.

Cristal® transparent papers are a great alternative to non-renewable materials, and can be used to replace plastics and films in packaging or to create fully fiber-based end-use structures.

To earn the SAFER™ designation, all chemicals intentionally added to the product, as well as those present at or above 100 ppm, have been disclosed and assessed by a qualified toxicology firm using ChemFORWARD’s comprehensive hazard methodology. This program ensures transparency and builds trust throughout the supply chain, while helping suppliers demonstrate leadership in chemical management.

“The use of transparent paper in packaging enables the food and ecommerce industries to effectively convey a value of trust in customers’ minds,” explained Guillaume Latourrette, Global Vice President of Food Packaging for Ahlstrom. “The strong sustainable attributes Cristal® already addressed as a natural, compostable, and recyclable packaging solution are now amplified by achieving SAFER™ status.”

Cristal® products are also designed for recyclability. They have been certified recyclable according to the Western Michigan University SBS Equivalency (WMU SBS-E) testing protocol, and their heat-seal coating has received third-party certification from Centre technique du papier, confirming its recyclability to the European Union’s EN13430 standards.

“Recyclable packaging for the ecommerce and industrial packaging industries is absolutely necessary in order to create less waste-to-landfill and reduce our impact to the planet,” said Eva Thunholm, Vice President of Ahlstrom’s Protective Materials business. “Achieving recyclability and compostability certification, in addition to this endorsement from ChemFORWARD’s SAFER™ program, offers our customers and the marketplace yet another fiber-based solution to reduce traditional non-renewable substrates in packaging engineering.”

These innovative products offer solutions for window packaging, sachets, bags, and more, allowing brand owners and packaging designers to showcase their products while minimizing their environmental impact. Ahlstrom is committed to providing sustainable and safe packaging solutions that meet the needs of today’s consumers and the planet.

For further information, please contact:

Addie Teeters, Head of Marketing Communications & Public Affairs, addie.teeters@ahlstrom.com tel. +1-920-766-8304

To learn more about Cristal® products: https://www.ahlstrom.com/products/technologies/transparent-technology/

To learn more about how Cristal® products support Ahlstrom’s from Plastic to Purpose campaign: https://www.ahlstrom.com/campaigns/from-Plastic-to-Purpose/

To learn more about ChemFORWARD’s SAFER program, contact info@chemforward.org or visit www.chemforward.org.

Ahlstrom in brief
Ahlstrom is a global leader in combining fibers into sustainable specialty materials. Our purpose is to Purify and Protect, with Every Fiber, for a Sustainable World. Our vision is to be the Preferred Sustainable Specialty Materials Company for all our stakeholders. We serve five growing and distinctive end markets, which form the basis for our five divisions: Filtration, Food & Consumer Packaging, Healthcare, Building Materials, and Technical Materials. Our net sales 2022 for continuing operations amounted to EUR 3.3 billion and we employ some 7,000 people. Read more at www.ahlstrom.com

SOURCE: AHLSTROM OYJ