How 2D Printing Sheets of Oat Milk Can Cut Shipping Costs

Is the future of plant-based milk … flat? Milkadamia thinks so. This April, the plant milk brand is launching Milkadamia Flat Pack, an oat milk product that comes in thin, lightweight sheets—requiring consumers to add their own water before drinking. By ditching bulky cartons, the company aims to slash packaging waste by up to 94 percent, and packaging weight by approximately 85 percent.

“We’ve spent years sending off truckloads of glorified, thinly disguised water. Plant milk and actual milk is something like 87 percent water,” says Jim Richards, 71, Milkadamia’s CEO. “We need to be punishing our planet less, and if we can find a way to do that, we feel a responsibility, but also a real excitement, to do it.”

As demand for sustainable products grows, Milkadamia is offering a fresh take with its flat pack approach. While similar concepts are already gaining traction in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) world—think laundry sheets—they remain rare in the food sector. Could this be a game-changer?

“It’s flat, easier to store, and cheap to ship, and that makes it such an attractive product because you can do a lot more with it,” says Nate Rosen, 28, founder and editor of Express Checkout, a platform focused on CPG news, trends, and analysis, noting the option of an online subscription model. “I don’t think consumers will adopt it right away, but get it in front of the right influencer or a mother in that space, and there could be a huge uptick.”

Let’s be clear: Milkadamia didn’t invent two-dimensional oat milk. The Chicago-based company actually got the idea from a German manufacturer, Veganz, which is already producing its own version. Milkadamia initially wanted to make two-dimensional macadamia milk—something more aligned with its core product—but “it turned out to be a much longer journey than we had anticipated,” says Richards, noting that early trial rounds made success feel “impossible.”

Undeterred, Milkadamia shifted its focus from high-fat nuts back to oats—not only a proven option but one with strong market potential. Oat milk is currently the second best-selling plant milk in the U.S., just behind almond milk. 

One of the initial challenges was the dough’s stickiness, which required developing a rolling method to ensure the layers adhered properly without merging. Once rolled, the dough is cut using knives similar to pizza cutters. By refining its production technology piece by piece, Milkadamia ultimately created a product comparable to traditional oat milk. The key ingredient? Fermented oat flour.

“I would not expect a loss in nutrients,” says Robert Roberts, professor and head of Pennsylvania State University’s department of food science, when comparing the ingredient list to Oatly’s Oatmilk Original.

Roberts adds that for flat pack foods in general, any nutritional changes would depend on the processing method. “As long as the [hydration] process doesn’t involve excessive heat, I wouldn’t expect significant issues with nutrient availability,” he explains.

Each Milkadamia Flat Pack holds two oat sheets, and each sheet makes one cup of oat milk. Pressed between wax paper, the sticky sheets resemble oversize Fruit Roll-Ups, though arguably not as fun. Those sheets are ultimately wrapped in paper and plastic, though Milkadamia is looking for compostable alternatives.

Once you’ve peeled off the paper, there’s some pre-consumption prep involved. You can either blend a sheet with one cup of water for ready-to-use milk, or soak it overnight in a jar and give it a quick shake in the morning. Compared with grabbing a milk carton and pouring it over cereal, the process feels a bit inconvenient—especially when factoring in washing a blender.

However, the texture is redeeming (I tried it), and the final product has a fresh, mild oat flavor with a pleasantly frothy layer on top. It’s slightly less creamy than other oat milks on the market, but the flexibility of making it yourself allows for customization. A sheet and a half produces a thicker consistency, while less creates a “skim” version.

“We know this is not going to be for everyone, but there will be people who take these steps,” says Richards. “The people who do all of their recycling, who take significant time and effort to do the right thing. And they’re going to be our people.” 

Current food packaging generates over 78 million metric tons of global plastic waste each year, with only 14 percent being recycled, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a nonprofit focused on circular economy research. In recent years, a variety of innovative solutions have emerged, from seaweed-based packaging to refill stations that promote bring-your-own containers. 

Milkadamia’s vacuum-sealed package weighs in at just under three ounces, roughly 10 times lighter than the average two-pound carton of milk. The idea is to “precycle” by reducing waste from the start, rather than forcing consumers to deal with waste management at the end. Increasingly, consumers are looking to companies to take responsibility for their environmental impact.

A 2023 NielsenIQ CPG Sustainability Report reveals that 92 percent of shoppers consider sustainability important when choosing a brand. Additionally, sustainability marketed products accounted for approximately one-third of all CPG sales growth, according to a study by the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business, which analyzed dollar sales across 36 CPG categories over the past decade. According to the Consumer Brands Association, 20 of the largest CPG companies have pledged to achieve 100 percent recycled packaging by 2030. 

The environmental benefits of flat packs could be “enormous,” says Tensie Whelan, 64, founding director of the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business. With milk, cartons are typically shipped or trucked to a distribution center, and then transported again to their retail destination. All along the way, the heavy weight and space requirements contribute to significant carbon emissions, says Whelan. Forklifts used to move the heavy product in warehouses also require energy.

“The last-mile delivery tends to be particularly carbon intensive because either you’re driving long distances in rural areas or you’re driving in congested areas with a lot of idling,” says Whelan. 

To make a real environmental impact, however, Milkadamia acknowledges the concept has to go far beyond plant-based milk. “Our company’s not big enough to shift the needle, but if we can introduce [flat pack] to Costco, to Walmart, who suggest to their suppliers that they should also do some precycling, that has real impact,” says Richards.

The big question is whether other companies will follow suit—and that may depend on their bottom line. Milkadamia notes that its flat packs are slightly more cost-effective to produce than traditional oat milk, thanks to reduced water usage and lower packaging, shipping, and storage costs. The company is still refining the product and declined to share exact figures but anticipates a 20 to 30 percent price reduction for customers.

Looking at the laundry detergent market, flat pack laundry sheets are gaining traction, with the global market projected to grow by $322 million at a 6.9 percent annual rate (CAGR) from 2024 to 2029, according to market research firm Technavio. Yet widespread consumer adoption remains uncertain. A recent Consumer Reports assessment of six brands found that “laundry sheets as a group didn’t perform well—netting scores that range from mediocre to lousy.”