FOR STARTERS …
SPICING UP THE FLAVOUR OF LIDDING DESIGN
Colourful peeled-off posters, paint spray, and graffiti all add to the variety that spices up the newly-designed tray and lidding film packs of Indian street food supplier Gazebo Fine Foods.
The aim was to “evoke the different layers of culinary expertise, discovery of flavours and decades of experience that go into creating the most authentic street food”.
The label designs on the lidding films have certainly whetted our appetites and help to illustrate how creativity can help to maximise shelf appeal.
IN TRAYS
Sounds good on paper: A certified compostable and dual ovenable food tray based on paper has been developed by Australian food packaging manufacturer Confoil and BASF. The paper tray is coated inside with a partly bio-based and certified compostable biopolymer especially designed for coating food packaging made of paper or board.
Sounds good on paper, too: A paper-based home-compostable wet food container is being produced by TIPA and G. Mondini. Film will act as a liner to create a barrier against oxygen, moisture and humidity.
Kosher film solution: Kosher Arabia needed a peelable lidding film to work with their fibre tray. One requirement was for the film to remain sealed during oven reheating to ensure the kashrut status of the food. Discover how we provided the solution.
Watch this cyberspace: A new website is coming soon from i2r Packaging Solutions.
RECYCLING THE RECYCLING NEWS
Short supply: A tiny fraction of plastic packaging returned to supermarkets is being recycled into food packaging, according to an exclusive investigation for Wicked Leeks. Most is said to end up as bin bags, buckets or in building materials, and all the supermarkets are accused of lacking transparency.
Zero funding: The multi-million pound Flexible Plastic Fund that aims to boost recycling rates of food wrappers and plastic carrier bags has failed to pay out a single penny, according to research. The reason has been put down to the fund insisting on full traceability of the material and a determination not to pay out to anyone not delivering on promises.
Substantial investment: A plastics recycling company has announced plans to invest £25 million in a former paper sorting plant so it can process post-consumer and post-industrial flexible plastics. The Sterling Polymers’ recycling process for flexible plastics will involve optical sorting, metal detection, screening and washing before extrusion into a granule that can be used in manufacturing.
Collect soft plastics here here: MPs have called for the kerbside collections of soft plastics. Conservative MP Luke Hall raised the matter in the House of Commons and highlighted that people in rural villages and those with limited mobility could find it difficult to access existing soft plastic recycling points.
STEP-BY-STEP DESIGN
A step-by-step guide to plastic packaging recyclability has been published by RecyClass. The design book is intended to clarify the definition of recyclability and highlight key considerations for designing both rigid and flexible packaging for recycling with maximum output quality as the priority.
The key principles include choosing plastics with a recycling stream in the EU, such as PE and PP for flexibles, and maximising the proportion of the primary polymer with mono-materials being the favoured solution.
FROM THE COMPOST HEAP
Location location: The challenges of compostable plastics and where they could have a successful role to play have been examined in A1 Retail Magazine. One key conclusion is locations should be identified where the collection and recycling of single-use plastics are problematic and where compostable materials could help to divert food waste from landfills.
Suppliers’ demand: Suppliers of compostable packaging say an improved collection and recycling infrastructure and clearer product labelling are required to support the market’s expansion, according to Packaging Insights.
Wonky solution: The UK’s first “wonky” bread box is to use home-compostable bags from our C-Range, developed in partnership with Treetop Biopak. Earth & Wheat’s packaging solution also grabbed the headlines, including within Sustainable Packaging News, Packaging Scotland and Flexible Packaging.
ABOUT PP-PACKAGING
Applied mechanics: Mechanically-recycled food-grade polypropylene has performed well in full-scale packaging production trials. Packs used in the NextLoopp project showed excellent visual and processing characteristics with only “minor but acceptable product variations” between a 30% rPP pack and a virgin PP pack.
Flexible myth: The importance of mono material polypropylene laminates in flexible packaging has been highlighted by PFFC. And Steve Langstaff, of Innovia Films, debunks the misconception that flexible packaging cannot be recycled. Our mono material polypropylene lidding films are a good example of products designed for recyclability.
ALTERNATIVE VIEWS
PET-eating enzyme: Scientists have discovered an enzyme that can degrade PET in record time via a process known as biological recycling. The enzyme reportedly causes PET to decompose by 90% within 16 hours, which could help solve the plastic waste problem.
Shell shock: Lobster shells left over from processing are being used in Canada to create a biopolymer that can be incorporated into environmentally-friendly packaging with antimicrobial properties. The biopolymer can reportedly be used as an additive on existing film or to replace some of the fossil-based polypropylene currently used in packaging film.
It’s only natural: A bio-based cellulose film for food packaging has been developed by a Finnish technical research centre. The bio-based and biodegradable cellulose film can be transparent and flexible and look the same as traditional oil-based plastic.
Spray that again: Scientists have developed a spray that creates a plant-based coating on your food. The layer can protect food against microbial contamination and any damage that can occur during transportation.
OTHER NEWS BITES
Focus on speed: At the Fruit Focus event, Proseal will showcase their localised support for the UK fresh produce sector by demonstrating a compact tray sealing model that maximises pack room space while delivering fast speeds. Packaging Automation will be showcasing their high-speed tray sealing technology.
Carbon copy: Would you leave a beef fillet steak on the shelf if you were more aware of its high carbon footprint? The Financial Times has explored how carbon food labels may change the way you shop.
It won’t greenwash: Greenwash is the practice by which companies exaggerate claims that they benefit the environment. Root Innovation has looked at the problem, including the EU’s new Substantiating Green Claims initiative, which will require companies to prove any environmental declarations against a standardised methodology.
Creaming off plastic: Iceland is launching heavily-reduced plastic packaging for five of its own-label ice cream products. The switch could save more than 80 tonnes of plastic per year for the supermarket.
LATEST FROM KM
Our new MD: We are pleased to announce that Frances Busby is joining KM as Managing Director. Frances will be taking over the position from July 11. Her appointment follows the announcement in April that KM had become an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT).
Designing for recyclability: Our resource-efficient, mono structure films can replace traditional thicker mixed polymer coex and laminates for the fresh protein sector. They are designed for recyclability and are available as a weld or cold peel film. Find out more about K-Seal and K-Peel.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
From the KM team … stay safe, keep up the good work, and value plastic.