Chris Green, marketing manager for Antalis McNaughton, said: "A lot of retailers want to be greener and to be able to recycle more, but you cannot recycle foam-centred board because it's a multi-layered product."

Green added that other recyclable alternatives, such as corrugated board, tend to be "seriously affected" by temperature and humidity.

"We believe that we have the only product on the market that is both 100% recyclable and that remains dimensionally stable in any environmental conditions," he said.

Antacote Lite was developed by Antalis McNaughton in conjunction with the German recyclable wood products manufacturer Katz Group and has already attracted the interest of a number of international supermarket chains.

According to Antalis, one retailer has already reported a £250,000 saving on waste management following its move to Antacote Lite, as a result of selling the end-of-life board for recycling purposes.