IFFA 2022: Flexopack overcomes supply disruptions to showcase recyclable flexible plastic solutions
17 May 2022 --- Greek flexible packaging specialist Flexopack is showcasing what it says is the only fully recyclable food packaging exhibit at IFFA in Frankfurt, Germany. The company’s group commercial director Dimitris Mantzoros talks to PackagingInsights from the trade show floor about the difficulties of creating effective, environmentally friendly flexible packaging.
“We are showcasing flexible packaging for food, focusing mainly on environmentally sustainable solutions like fully recyclable shrink bags and thermoformable films. This is our strong point – prioritizing packaging integrity together with [environmental] sustainability,” he says.
“We are the only ones in this exhibition not just advertising online but showcasing actual packages and bags.”
It is especially difficult to recycle flexible packages when you want to maintain the value of food and preserve the quality and shelf life needed for retail, continues Mantzoros. To avoid waste and also have a package that can be thrown into the waste PE stream is the main hurdle.
Dimitris Mantzoros, group commercial director at Flexopack.“It’s much more difficult regarding the processing and raw materials for producers to send their produce back – and that is why we consider our products innovative.”
Harmonizing with recycling infrastructure
Creating recyclable materials means companies like Flexopack must be in line with local recycling infrastructure, abide by local regulations and also encourage policy decisions that increase the recyclability of their packs.
“We are in contact with policymakers in Greece where our headquarters are, but also with certain governance within Europe like CEFLEX,” says Mantozoros.
“Working with CEFLEX helps us understand the directives for recycle-ready packaging solutions. We are trying to explain that yes, we have to go for fully recyclable packaging solutions, but we also have to make solutions that preserve produce and extend shelf life.”
“It is much worse to throw away food or have spoiled food than to fail with recycling. Throwing the packaging away is preferable to wasting food.”
The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with food loss are some of the greatest on earth. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that if food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest GHG emitter, behind China and the US. The resources needed to produce the food that becomes lost or wasted have a carbon footprint of about 3.3 billion metric tons of CO2.
Flexopack shrink bags at IFFA 2022.
Others have argued that the fossil fuels and related emissions needed to produce plastic packaging pales compared to food lost where plastic is not deployed. This debate has risen recently as legislation comes into force banning plastic packaging for fruit and vegetables below a certain weight in France and Spain.
Facing supply chain challenges
As with every company at IFFA, Flexopack is dealing with the soaring costs of inflation and raw material prices. These issues have been largely driven by COVID-19-related disruptions and, more recently, by supply chain challenges resulting from the Ukraine war.
“Dealing with these issues is a tough question. Right from the beginning, Flexopack made the decision to maintain the supply chain for our customers at any cost. However, it is very challenging. I would say we have done a very good job so far by taking advantage of our relationship with raw material suppliers,” says Mantzoros.
“Right now, regarding production and supply, it’s business as usual, but we will have to see how the inflation from the Ukraine war will affect everyone – I think it will end up everywhere.”
By Louis Gore-Langton
