The Huhtamaki North America business unit of Finland-based packaging company Huhtamaki is now offering molded pulp egg cartons made from what it calls 100 percent recycled materials. The cartons are being made at a Huhtamaki facility in Hammond, Indiana.
“We expect the demand for egg cartons in the United States to reach 4.3 billion packs in 2025,” says Tyler Hodges, Sales Manager for Huhtamaki North America.
Adds Hodges, “The market size presents a great opportunity for the egg producers looking to shift to fiber-based egg cartons ahead of legislation and bans on polystyrene (PS) foam packaging. Huhtamaki’s experience with molded fiber product design and operations is extensive worldwide and we will fully leverage this for the needs of the U.S. market.”
Huhtamaki, which also makes Chinet brand fiber-based tableware, says it has more than 100 years of experience in molded fiber packaging technology, positioning it to bring its “fiber expertise to the U.S. as an alternative to foam egg packaging.”
The company says currently 12 states have enacted legislation aimed at banning expanded polystyrene (EPS) packaging. Applications in which EPS will need to be replaced include packing “peanuts,” away-from-home beverage coolers, food service cups and plates, and egg packaging, says the firm.
In 2022, Huhtamaki announced a $100 million investment into a 250,000-square-foot expansion of its Hammond molded fiber manufacturing plant.
“Huhtamaki’s state-of-the-art technology will provide a full range of highly customizable egg cartons that are fiber-based and manufactured from 100 percent recycled North American materials,” says the company, which adds the cartons will be available in several colors.
“We are pleased to work with Huhtamaki since we are aligned with their vision to protect food, people and the planet,” says Ryan Miller, CEO, at Iowa-based egg producer Farmers Hen House. “One of the pillars of our business is to be good stewards of the environment, our farmers and the community. For us, this includes sustainable packaging. It is simply the right thing to do.”
