In 2017, Clearwater Paper evaluated an upgrade to the performance and sustainability of its cup stock paperboard produced at the Lewiston, Idaho, mill. Using a stage gate process, Clearwater Paper determined there were opportunities to better meet the needs of the next generation of consumers while producing a superior performing product for its converter customers. In fact, the company identified multiple improvement opportunities, and as a result, created a fresh brand to better represent the new capabilities. On March 25, 2019, Clearwater Paper launched NuVo® with increased levels of post-consumer recycled fiber content, also featuring the Forest Stewardship Council chain of custody certification. The print surface allows for enhanced graphic design capabilities with reduced ink usage. NuVo’s brand features combine multiple sustainability values, strengthening the company’s circular value chain. The graphic below provides a list of the brand’s attributes. One of the key sustainability gaps the company identified was a lack of post-consumer recycled fiber (PCF) cup stock in the market. Clearwater Paper identified three reasons for the reduced use of PCF: fiber cost, cup forming performance, and paperboard color/shade. The cup forming process stresses the paperboard, and a balance of strength, stretch, and flexibility is needed to form a tight cup rim and bottom, especially at high forming speeds. PCF does not have the strength and stretch characteristics of the longer, unprocessed virgin softwood fiber. Most paperboard machines in North America make a single ply paperboard sheet. On single ply machines, it is difficult to direct distribution of different fiber types. Higher concentrations of PCF blended into a single ply may weaken the cup stock performance, which can cause cup forming issues that result in downtime or reduced forming speeds. There is a limit to PCF fiber content in cup stock. Virgin fiber is needed to balance performance.
The Clearwater Paper paperboard machine in Lewiston, Idaho, is a multi-ply machine that provides a platform to customize fiber blend stratification. The company addressed the potential performance gap of high PCF content by using virgin softwood on the outside layers and positioning the weaker PCF strategically to optimize strength and performance. To increase PCF content up to 32%, the company customized its fiber blend to optimize performance on a cup machine. Clearwater Paper commercialized up to 32% PCF in NuVo® after reviewing the data from numerous forming trials on a variety of cup forming machines. The company addressed the PCF cup shade concerns using the same blending strategy. The biggest gap was offsetting the higher cost of the PCF. If the company makes a sustainable product affordable, it has the capability of driving volume scale, which drives the environmental impact. The enhanced surface coating reduces ink usage by 50% or more, which helps offset the cost of the PCF. Clearwater Paper discovered that the enhanced surface improves cup forming speeds during its trials. Those trials showed cup per minute forming improvement up to 27%. Along with cost savings from ink use reduction, increasing cups per minute provides a significant potential lever to offset the cost of PCF.A new generation of consumers wants to see a higher percentage of recycled content. Clearwater Paper believes that improving the sustainable attributes and performance of its cup stock drives material differentiation and choice, which is attractive to foodservice operators that want to tell a unique story about their brands and beverage packaging.The development of NuVo® has had a positive impact on the pulp and paperboard operations team in Lewiston. The team is energized about working on cup development, which fuels the mill’s ability to succeed in the future. The long-term goal for NuVo® is to provide the largest variety of cup stock material choices and capabilities to drive improved cup sustainability, cost reduction, and performance. Build It Your Way is the company’s NuVo® motto—or simply, Evolution Revolution.
