The company said that the new "InnoMould" paper, which is being produced at its mill in Ueterson, Germany, could be used to replace printed film labels, containing information and advertising, that are placed in the mould before the plastic melt is injected.

Stora Enso said that the InnoMould paper combined with melted plastic became a unit which was much stiffer than packaging using a conventional film label. It added that the higher bearing pressure of the product permitted higher stacking and the walls of the pots could be produced with up to 50% less material, enabling significant reductions in the percentage of non-renewable materials used to produce the packaging.

The company said that InnoMould had undergone extensive testing under real-life conditions and was ideal for the injection-moulding processing used to produce products including pots for yoghurt and dairy products and containers for processed fish and butter and paint buckets.

Stora Enso said: "InnoMould supports the use of high-resolution visuals and any desired number of different colours, including gold and silver. That makes is possible to achieve the kind of realistic aesthetics that are important for maximum advertising impact at the point of sale, especially when it comes to foodstuffs and luxury items."