Earthfilm: Meringue maker claims plastic-free confectionery packaging “industry first”

12 Jul 2019 --- Gourmet meringue maker Flower & White has surpassed confectionary giants to debut its products in plastic-free packaging, reportedly being one of the first in the sector to do so. Flower & White, which retails in the UK through Selfridges and QVC, as well as overseas to countries including the US, Canada, Germany and Australia, has utilized Sirane’s Earthfilm, which is a paper-based packaging solution with a barrier that ensures product protection and shelf-life.

Co-Founder, Leanne Crowther, tells PackagingInsights that customers are looking to make better choices in the wake of increased awareness about the lasting effects of plastic. “This isn’t about jumping on the bandwagon; this is about trying to move our sector forward so it can win the war on plastic,” she says. “We know consumers are rightly concerned and it’s up to manufacturers like us to do something about it. We are proud to be the first company in the sector to adopt this new paper packaging, but this is just the start of our efforts.”

These moves within the confectionery space mirror other food and beverage segments, where companies are increasingly making the switch from plastic to paper. According to Innova Market Insights, we are entering a new era of paper-based packaging, fueled by consumers’ growing anti-plastics sentiment. Mixed material packaging, where the components cannot be separated, is on its way out, and is increasingly replaced by either 100 percent paper-based or hybrid paperboard-plastic packaging. 

Flower & White relaunched its Meringue Bars using paper-based packaging.

 This trend is also going to penetrate into premium ranges, including seasonal confectionery, which has traditionally been resistant to adopting anything that could possibly compromise on the product’s luxury feel, the market specialist notes.

The confectionery space is dominated by plastic wrappers, with plastics films and laminating deemed to be essential to shelf-life. 

In a bid to lessen the environmental impact of its treats, Nestlé formed a closed-loop recycling program with waste management specialist TerraCycle in the UK & Ireland for its confectionery’s flexible plastic packaging. Pouches, bags and wrappers from single bars, blocks and multipacks will now be accepted through the Confectionery Recycling Program, which takes the accumulated waste and turns it into new plastic items. However, critics note that reformulating product packaging away from plastic altogether would be a more hard-hitting move. 

In a high profile launch last week, Nestlé YES! snack bars were announced as being “the first confectionery bar on the market” to be packaged in paper using a high-speed flow wrap technology. YES! snack bars were previously packaged in flexible plastic wrappers. 

Earthfilm
Sirane’s award-winning Earthfilm – now available in standard, barrier and high-barrier – is touted as being ideal for anyone looking to remove unnecessary plastics from packaging.

“Since first developing the concept around 18 months ago, we have spent significant time working in improving the barrier in order to reach the point we have where products needing a high barrier can be packed in this way,” Mark Lingard, Marketing Manager at Sirane, tells PackagingInsights.

“The Earthfilm is a paper-based packaging solution, but a barrier is necessary to offer the shelf-life needed. To form a bag or pouch, the material also needs to be able to be sealed. We managed to achieve this by developing a coating, which when applied to the paper, allows it to be sealed – this allows it to be formed into bags or pouches – and also provides the required barrier. It was a lengthy process to get to where we are now, and we have faced numerous challenges, most notably sourcing the required raw materials to do the job,” he notes.

The Earthfilm is suitable for a wide variety of applications, ranging from cereals and granolas to nuts and seeds, snacks and chocolate to supplements and powders.

“If you’re serious about moving away from plastics, then this – and many of the other products in our Earth Packaging range – might be exactly what you’re looking for,” Lingard concludes.

By Laxmi Haigh