Consumables

MWV Launches Promina, the Next Generation of SBS Tobacco Paperboard

Thursday 17. September 2009 - MeadWestvaco Corp. (NYSE: MWV), a global packaging solutions leader, today announced the first in a series of new tobacco paperboard launches with the introduction of Promina, the next generation of solid bleached sulfate (SBS) tobacco board intended for use in premium tobacco packaging.

MWV developed Promina using proprietary new technologies to create a groundbreaking board with almost identical operating properties as its market leading predecessor, Printkote Tobacco, but at an average basis weight reduction of seven percent. Promina’s benefits also include enhanced printability, runnability and consistency, producing a sheet that is 40 percent cleaner than MWV’s previous premium quality board offering.

“As part of our ongoing efforts to improve product and service offerings, MWV began deploying this new technology in late 2008 to augment its premium tobacco packaging portfolio and will complete the conversion of every tobacco customer by early 2010,” says Andrej Vlahcevic, marketing director, MWV Tobacco Strategic Business Unit (SBU). “The introduction of Promina allows MWV to make improvements to our previous market leading grades, while providing the same pack stiffness and printability benefits, but at a lower basis weight.”

Packaging is taking on a greater role in the tobacco industry as advertising, marketing and brand development in certain outlets are increasingly restricted; therefore the manufacturing demands are high. The hinge lid box, the tobacco industry’s most widely used type of package, continues to come under increased demand to serve as a brand’s primary ‘billboard.’ The material used in cigarette packaging needs not only to support premium printing designs but must also be sturdy, durable and versatile to operate effectively in today’s complex, high-speed packaging and converting equipment. MWV’s Printkote Tobacco paperboard was preferred by customers and was the leader in operational runnability due to its consistency and quality – allowing customers to run at higher operating speed to maximize productivity. The improvements in MWV’s Promina grade are expected to continue this tradition while providing additional benefits to tobacco companies around the globe.

The demand for sustainable products continues to grow. As a leader in sustainable packaging, MWV approaches the concept of sustainable packaging holistically, working with customers to provide solutions that address and optimize each phase of a packaging system’s lifecycle. With the introduction of Promina MWV provides the tobacco industry with new options for sustainable solutions, as the manufacturing of this new board can reduced energy consumption, CO2 emissions and water usage compared with MWV’s Printkote Tobacco grades.

For a given amount of production, Promina is expected to (vs. Printkote Tobacco):

Reduce overall energy consumption by 6 percent
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3 percent
Use less water to produce
Additionally, MWV is researching and developing post-consumer recycled grades as an alternative option to meet specific sustainability demands and/or support the green goals of tobacco companies.

http://www.mwv.com
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