BillerudKorsnäs and Syntegon Technology unveil paper flow wrap for confectionery recyclability

05 Oct 2020 --- BillerudKorsnäs and Syntegon Technology are launching Recyclable Flow Wrap, a paper-based packaging solution that facilitates a shift from conventional plastic to renewable and recyclable materials.

Flow wrap is a type of flexible packaging used for various products in the FMCG sector and plastic film flow wrap is currently the standard.

Recyclable Flow Wrap is based on primary fibers from well-managed forests and recyclable as paper.

The product enables the shift from conventional plastic to paper and is suitable for medium to high barrier requirements, such as those posed by chocolate bars and other confectionery and bakery products.

A patent application for BillerudKorsnäs Recyclable Flow Wrap is pending.

Recyclable Flow Wrap is verified by Syntegon Technology and tested with its retrofit upgrade kit “paper-ON-form.”

Recyclable Flow Wrap is based on primary fibers from well-managed forests and is recyclable as paper.Recyclable Flow Wrap is recyclable as paper and based on primary fibers from sustainably-managed forests.

“We are happy to launch a paper-based flow wrap solution. The product is recyclable as paper and brand owners don’t have to compromise neither product shelf life nor converting productivity in comparison to plastic packaging options,” notes Peter Åström, Recyclable Flow Wrap project manager.

Adaptable to existing machinery
The paper-based innovation can be installed on existing horizontal flow wrapping machines and new flow wrappers from Syntegon Packaging Systems AG with the upgrade kit paper-ON-form.

Recyclable Flow Wrap was engineered in Syntegon’s development center in Beringen, Switzerland, and consists of a flow-wrap forming unit and sealing tools or paper cold-sealing applications.

The kit is already being used on existing lines from international manufacturers for packaging chocolate bars in paper.

“To make flow wraps future-proof, we have to take a holistic approach. In our test lab, we are concentrating on three elements: avoidance, recycling and recovery,” says Christoph Langohr, project manager of sustainability horizontal packaging.

“Our retrofit kit allows customers the transition to paper packaging on their existing Syntegon Packaging Systems horizontal flow wrapping machine – without any restrictions regarding speed compared to the existing for cold-sealable paper.”

In August, Syntegon introduced its next generation of heat sealing flow wrappers called Pack 202 to the North American market. Building on its predecessor Pack 201, the new machine is a fully automated horizontal flow wrapping machine for low to medium speeds.Syntegon´s flow wrappers include an easily removable discharge belt and “highly intuitive” user-centered design.

Pack 202 is marketed as suitable for packaging bars, bakery products, cookies and crackers, and non-food applications. It borrows technologies from its sister machine Pack 403 integrated within the Pack 403 machine last year.

The technologies include an easily removable discharge belt, upgrades to the cross-seal and fin seal units, and a “highly intuitive,” user-centered design.

Plastic out, paper in
By introducing Recyclable Flow Wrap, BillerudKorsnäs brings forward innovation based on renewable and biodegradable materials, meeting brand owners and legislators´ need to reduce littering and increase recycling without compromising barrier characteristics.

In November 2019, global diversified wood fiber company Sappi grabbed headlines by making Nestlé’s YES! snack bars the first confectionary bar on the market packaged in paper using a high-speed flow wrap technology.

In June, Nestlé extended this technology to its Smarties chocolate bar, which is now packaged in a recyclable paper wrapper.

In September, Syntegon Technology and chemicals company Sabic jointly developed a frozen food packaging pillow bag. The bag boasts a “substantial material reduction potential” of up to 50 percent compared to conventional blown PE films, such as low-density polyethylene (LDPE).

Edited by Joshua Poole