What are blister packs and clamshells, and what paperboard card alternatives exist?

Traditional blister packaging uses a pre-formed plastic bubble (PET or PVC) heat-sealed to a printed paperboard backing card. A clamshell is a one-piece hinged plastic blister that folds around a product and snaps shut.

### Environmental Challenges with Plastic Blisters:

• Hard to separate plastic from paperboard for recycling.


• "Wrap rage" — consumers struggle and need scissors to cut open thick heat-sealed clamshells.

### Modern 100% Recyclable Paperboard Alternatives:
1. All-Paperboard Blister Cards: Precision die-cut locking cards with integrated paperboard fitments that hold the product securely without plastic.
2. Moulded Pulp Blister Inserts: Contoured paper pulp cavities replacing plastic bubbles.
3. Heat-Sealable Cellulose Blisters: Bio-based transparent blisters made from FSC wood cellulose that can be recycled directly in standard paper recycling streams.