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Blue Ocean Closures, a Swedish company that develops fibre-based closures and packaging components, has unveiled its latest innovation: Paper-Plug, an integrated fibre-based opening system.

The concept aims to unlock new opportunities for convenient, low-cost and low-carbon packaging across food applications such as dry and frozen foods, ingredients and health supplements. It can also be used in personal care and home care applications.

Setting the solution apart from traditional closure approaches, which usually rely on tear openings or separate plastic fitments, Paper-Plug integrates directly into paperboard packaging structures. Its opening and dispensing concept combines a fibre internal screw closure with a direct interface to carton and corrugated board structures.

This integrated design aims to pave the way for ‘highly functional’ renewable packaging solutions, while maintaining cost efficiency and convenience. While previous packaging formats have often relied on glass, metal or plastic, this new solution creates opportunities for new product architectures, Blue Ocean Closures said.

The solution has been crafted using the company’s forming technology, developed to produce advanced fibre components with low energy consumption and at industrial speed.

It can be used across premium carton and hybrid board formats, reducing dependency on fossil fuel-derived materials and unlocking opportunities for differentiation and branding. The closure is also compatible with existing paperboard converting approaches, with safe integration of barrier opportunities where necessary.

Staffan Andersson, CTO at Blue Ocean Closures, said: “Paper packaging has historically been strong in surfaces and structure but limited in functionality wherever advanced opening, dispensing and reclosure features were needed. With Paper-Plug, we want to expand what paper packaging can become.”

“We believe this opens a completely new design space where sustainability, convenience and economics increasingly reinforce each other rather than compete.”