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Sustainable packaging manufacturer Paranova Print and Packaging has officially unveiled what it describes as the UK’s new hub for fibre-based food-to-go packaging following the completion of a £5 million expansion and modernisation project at its manufacturing operation in St Neots, Cambridgeshire.
The investment transforms the dual-site facility into what the company says is now Europe’s largest fibre-based food-to-go packaging manufacturing site, significantly increasing production capacity as demand grows for recyclable paper-based packaging solutions across the convenience food sector.
Paranova currently manufactures more than 700 million recyclable food-to-go packs annually across its three board production sites. The latest investment adds 2,000 square meters of production space and introduces new high-speed manufacturing technology aimed at improving workflow efficiency, print quality and waste reduction.
Central to the expansion is a custom-built Bobst press designed specifically for lined-board food-to-go applications. The new equipment strengthens the company’s ability to produce recyclable sandwich skillets, wrap cartons, trays and other fibre-based formats while supporting customers navigating evolving environmental regulations, including Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) requirements and the broader shift toward paperisation.
Jo Ormrod, CEO of Paranova Print and Packaging, said: “This investment marks a defining moment for Paranova and reinforces our ambition to lead the future of sustainable food-to-go packaging. We have built a manufacturing operation designed around innovation, quality and sustainability, enabling us to better support customers with scalable fibre-based packaging solutions.”
The expansion comes at a time when foodservice operators and retailers are accelerating efforts to replace plastic packaging with recyclable paper-based alternatives amid tightening legislation and rising consumer demand for sustainable formats.
Looking ahead, the company says it is preparing to launch the next generation of its RecyclaLite platform, an upgraded fibre-based packaging solution designed to further reduce EPR-related costs and improve environmental performance for food-to-go operators.
