Graphic Packaging has announced it is further expanding its portfolio of innovative, sustainable packaging solutions with the launch of a new range of sushi packaging in Europe. 

It comes at a time of exciting growth in the global sushi market, with MarketWatch reporting it is set to grow to almost $22bn by 2027. As the market grows, sushi suppliers are demanding alternatives to traditional plastic packaging to comply with the EU’s Single Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) and the UK’s incoming EPR reforms. Consumer attitudes, meanwhile, are hardening against plastic all the time, with a Pro Carton study finding that over half of European consumers actively purchase products in packaging they consider to be more sustainable. 

Improving access to fiber-based solutions 

Graphic Packaging aims to improve access to fiber-based packaging solutions in the Foodservice sector, which has led the company to develop a new range of solutions to benefit customers who run sushi kiosks in retail shops, or sushi restaurants specializing in takeaway and delivery. 

The new sushi portfolio has been developed to be as flexible as possible, with several options tailored to meet customers’ needs in terms of plastic content and pack structure. The range contains minimal-plastic options (that contain less than 5 percent plastic), plastic lamination-free packs, and plastic-free options that enable compliance with the SUPD. 

The clear window material is a key aspect of sushi packaging, providing an appetizing glimpse of the food inside while ensuring the pack preserves freshness. A cellulose material is used which is recyclable in domestic paper waste streams and is certified as home and industrially compostable. This innovation means all sushi pack options are recyclable at home by consumers. 

Innovative structural designs 

The sushi range is available in a range of one- and two-piece constructions in a range of sizes including 190 x 140mm, 220 x 90mm and 140 x 80mm. Each pack is designed to offer the maximum window space to offer the best possible view of the exciting dish inside.  

Operational and branding benefits 

The packs have been carefully crafted to offer rigidity, so they can be stacked at a kiosk or counter without compromising performance. They offer logistics flexibility, too, as they can be delivered formed and nested or as flat blanks for convenient filling and storage. 

And, as sushi becomes an increasingly competitive market across the world, each pack has been designed to offer great opportunities for high-impact branding on the interior and exterior.  

Yoann Bouvet, global sales director, foodservice at Graphic Packaging, welcomed the launch of the new sushi range, saying, “We’re passionate about bringing our innovative solutions to new customers and improving access to sustainable, fiber-based packaging around the world. The launch of our sushi range, tailor-made to meet the needs of our customers in the sushi segment, is just our latest example of that commitment. 

“As the sushi industry continues to grow throughout Europe and the rest of the world, suppliers and retailers need the next-generation sustainable packaging solutions that consumers expect, and that lawmakers demand. By choosing our sustainable solutions, with all their operational and branding benefits, our customers can set themselves up for success in a booming sector.”