Sustainably produced meat products in sustainable packaging: The new product line of the poultry sausage brand Gutfried by the Zur Mühlen Gruppe (Gutfried) is not only "organic", its packaging is also sustainable and was produced using recycled plastic. This innovative plastic packaging has now been presented by the participating companies Zur Mühlen Gruppe (Gutfried), BASF, Sabic and Südpack. The special thing: Around two-thirds of the raw materials used for the packaging come from plastic waste, which is thus reconverted into valuable raw materials. In this way, the collaboration partners want to make a contribution to reducing waste volumes and conserving valuable resources.
During the chemical recycling process of mixed plastic waste, the used plastic is converted into pyrolysis oil in a high-temperature process. Like fossil based raw materials, this oil is then used at the beginning of the chemical production chain, thus saving conventional crude oil. The recycled content is allocated to the chemical end products via a mass balance method. The products thus have the same high quality and performance as new products.
The bottom film and top film of the packaging each consist of several layers of different polymers and are produced by the film producer Südpack. BASF supplies the necessary polyamide, Sabic supplies the polyethylene. Both components are based on raw materials that have been recycled chemically from mixed plastic waste which was not possible before.
"The innovative packaging based on recycled raw materials is a perfect match for our new Gutfried organic chicken meat sausage," says Maximilian Tönnies, Managing Director of the Zur Mühlen Gruppe. This group also includes the Zur Mühlen Gruppe with its Gutfried sausage brand. "Our customers increasingly value sustainability. This of course applies to the production of our products, but also to aspects such as packaging". The new product therefore not only stands for enjoyment without regrets, but also for less plastic waste and the careful use of limited resources.
"More than a year ago, Sabic already took a big step forward with the chemically recycled products from the Trucircle portfolio to close the waste cycle of plastics", says Mark Vester, global circular economy lead at Sabic. Christoph Gahn, responsible for BASF's polyamide business in Europe, adds: "Plastic products made of chemically recycled material can be recycled again after use without impacting the quality".
High quality and food-conformity of the material are crucial when used in food packaging. "If the material and thus the oxygen barrier fails, the packaged product would no longer be optimally protected and in the worst case could spoil early," explains Carolin Grimbacher, managing partner and head of research and development at Südpack. Product safety is therefore top priority, especially with sensitive foods such as meat.
