As easy as pie to make the switch towards fibre-based solutions?

Thanks to fruitful collaboration, Fazer’s delicious oat pies are now served in recyclable fibre-based packaging.

‍The food industry is increasingly replacing packaging based on plastic with fibre-based solutions. Several things need to be considered for a successful transition. Tight collaboration with customers and other parties have proven to be the best recipe for future-proof innovations. One example is a fibre-based packaging for a beloved traditional Finnish pastry: the rice pie.

Fazer Bakery made a new twist to an old Finnish pie. While the original rice pie is made of an ultrathin rye-based flatbread with a dollop of rice porridge in the middle, Fazer Bakery has tweaked the recipe a bit to make an oat-based version.

The pie is the perfect snack on a busy day. It also makes for a delicious breakfast, heated with a generous blob of butter on top.

Fazer Bakery’s oat rice pies are sold refrigerated. Although the rice pies are relatively lean, there is still some grease both in the rice porridge as well as in the flatbread, placing more rigid requirements on the packaging material. Traditionally, the go-to material has been plastics to ensure a suitable barrier to help withstand grease and moisture.

In line with the company’s sustainability strategy, Fazer Bakery wanted to switch to a fibre-based option for the rice pies. Fazer Bakery turned to a long-standing partner in Walki Westpak, who joined the Walki Group in 2023 to chart the way towards a circular future where fibre-based packaging plays a crucial role, and UPM Speciality Papers.

“With Fazer Bakery Finland, we have a long tradition of innovating together

Ville Julin
Sales Manager for High Resolution Printed Flex packaging at Walki Westpak.

Challenges with packaging

There were plenty of durability requirements coming from Fazer Bakery that needed to be met. The fibre-based material needed to be recyclable in the fibre stream, to protect the pies, run smoothly on packaging machine without breaking the packaging and as with all food packaging, there were also aesthetic demands to consider. Heat sealability was also an important feature. Paper provided by UPM served as a great basis for the development work.

The rice pies need to stand out in supermarket basins for refrigerated snacks in order to catch consumers’ attention. This places high demands on the packaging’s aesthetics and printability.
“Printing on fibre-based materials is challenging compared to plastics as paper is more porous. You need to have good printing expertise”, explains Julin.

Those are found in Säkylä, Finland, where Walki Westpak has manufactured packaging for Fazer Bakery ever since Westpak was founded in 2008.

Smooth cooperation

The Cooperation between Walki Westpak, Fazer and UPM Speciality Papers was effortless.
“We share the same sustainability vision on where packaging is going, that is towards fibre-based solutions whenever possible”, says Julin, adding that the collaboration is based on good partnership where all parties are eager to test new ideas.

“Our strong understanding of the technical requirements of fibre-based materials and polymers, and those set by the end product, provide an excellent foundation for fruitful cooperation. Especially in the fast-moving retail world it is very important to be able to react quickly to changing demands with tailor-made solutions.”

The packaging solution for the oat rice pies has been noted internationally with an award in the WorldStar competition organised by the World Packaging Organisation since 1970.