Environmental factors and sustainability continue to dominate the efforts to develop new types of plastic packaging, as well as, in some cases, alternatives to plastic packaging. Here are just a few recent examples.
Mondi Group, the Austria-based paper and plastic packaging giant, has created three sustainable packaging products for a new range of vegan products from Norwegian food manufacturer Orkla ASA. The branded consumer goods company worked closely with Mondi to create sustainable, high-performance packaging for the Swedish launch of its Frankful plant-based Tex Mex range – soft tortilla wraps, tortilla crisps and taco spices.
Mondi’s sustainable packaging hits the right note for Orkla’s new climate-smart food launch.
For Orkla’s soft tortillas, the firm chose to use Mondi’s BarrierPack Recyclable, which uses a high-barrier, lightweight, mono-material polyethylene and a reclose tape to keep the food fresh in its original packaging and prevent waste. It packaged its tortilla chips in Mondi’s metal-free high-barrier laminate, which is totally recyclable due to the fact it eliminates the need for a metalized layer while retaining crispness and avoiding grease leakage. And Orkla’s taco spice mix is packaged in Mondi’s paper-based laminate, created from FSC certified paper and a film made from renewable resources.
Royal DSM, meanwhile, has launched sustainable, plant-based line of packaging resins it is calling its Decovery range. The Dutch giant says these new resins will allow packaging producers to reduce their carbon footprint. It claims its Decovery portfolio – designed for the creation of adhesives, primers, inks and topcoats – is perfectly suited for the creation of high-quality coating resins that meet the environmental demands of the packaging markets. They contain zero-to-low volatile organic compounds (VOCs), DSM says, yet can match or even exceed the performance of starch-based alternatives. All of these resins are made from plant-based resources, such as bark and beans, which are sustainably sourced and don’t compete with the food chain.
▲DSM has launched its new Decovery sustainable resin to help the packaging market lower its carbon footprint.
The first such resin is the lineup is Decovery SP-6400 XP, a low-NaOH alkali-soluble acrylic copolymer dispersion with high clarity and flexibility. DSM created it especially for adhesive application, such as removeable paper labels for bottles as well as domestic adhesives. It has a lower carbon footprint than oil-based alternatives, is highly flexible, and can adhere to a wide range of substrates.
