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EUROFRESH
DISTRIBUTION
Reduce environmental impact
Packaging more attuned to the environmental expectations of retailers and consumers
The time for discussion has passed.
If they want continuing growth,
packaging manufacturers must reduce
the environmental impact of
their products. As plastic is becoming
more and more expensive, many
are focusing on packaging made
from renewable and compostable
resources. PLA (polylactic acid) is
Affeldt
New bag for potatoes
Affeldt has launched a new type of film for packing
potatoes in vertical bags with an adapted version
of its M-Pack packing machine. The pack only has a
small netted window, the rest is made out of the film.
This means that the potatoes get less light and limits
evaporation.
Infia
Recycled PET
Infia has been working for some time with major retailers
on packaging that will cause less environmental
impact. The company now manufactures punnets
in recycled PET for the United Kingdom and PLA punnets.
It intends to pursue PLA punnet production in
spite of its higher cost and a few technical problems
with this material. Above all, however, it currently
aims to replace all the new polyethylene that it employs
with recycled polyethylene, for all its markets.
gradually being introduced and
other materials are also appearing
or seeing new developments, such
as cardboard, moulded pulp, sewn
wood, sugarcane or bamboo fibres,
etc. As regards plastics, manufacturers
are now turning to recycled plastics,
even if these are still difficult
to find. Efforts are also being made
to ensure that the different parts of
complex packaging materials can be
disposed of together, through composting
(no staples, etc.) or recycling
(same material for the tray and its
flow-pack film, for the net bag and
the film for its handle, and so on).
As biodegradable packaging is
bound to grow, the manufacturers
Dynaplast
Dynaplast’s multipurpose punnet
Dynaplast has launched the Agripack PAF 8, a 300-
400 g PET punnet that can be used with different
closing systems. It can be fitted with a lid with the
Agripack inside snap-on system. Its wide edges allow
it to be heat sealed. It can also be flow-packed.
Another advantage is that 8 of these punnets not
only fit into a 60 x 40 format but also into British boxes,
which have a shape that usually cannot take eight
punnets. It is available in various heights, and other
formats are under development. Another novelty
from Dynaplast is the PAF 15, an elongated thermosealable
punnet that can be packed 15 to a layer in
a 40 x 60 box.
NNZ
NNZ’s biodegradable packaging
Skywheel, from NNZ, is packaging
that has been specially developed for
organic produce. The tray is made of
cardboard and the flowpack bag is a
very glossy perforated PLA, so they
are both biodegradable. NNZ has also
launched a PLA bag for baby leaves.
The company has conducted research
with the University of Aarkus in Denmark
that shows that the shelf life of
baby leaves in a non-perforated PLA
bag is the same as in a non-perforated
BOPP (bi-oriented polypropylene)
one. Lastly, NNZ has launched a
pack targeted at consumers: a bag for
pieces of fruit that creates a vacuum
on blowing into a particular place in
the bag. This allows the pieces of fruit
to be kept for 6-7 hours without going
brown.
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are also now working on making
these materials more efficient and
more attractive. They are working on
shapes, on resistance to moisture
and shock absorption, on ventilation,
on longer fruit and vegetable
shelf life, on cookability, etc. The
range of colours is also growing and
deeper tones are now possible.
Fimat
Punnet made of cardboard laminated
with PLA
Fimat has presented a new PLA-laminated cardboard
punnet for fresh-cut salads, juicy fruits, etc. Because
of the PLA, it has all the advantages of plastic
but is completely biodegradable. The firm has also
launched a cardboard punnet which can be used in a
traditional or microwave oven thanks to a new gluing
method.