Consortium expects confectioners to snap up its eco-pack

Huge sweet manufacture interest in a consortium-backed 'compostable' pack using bio polymers and adhesives and heavy metal-free inks could trigger its rapid take-up within the confectionery sector, reports Innovia, one of the suppliers involved.

Compostable confectionery

The NatureFlex supplier said that the eco-pack in question - a bag for multivitamin boiled sweets - was developed as a special on-stand promotional giveaway for Interpack in May.

The bag was designed, through collaboration with a range of packaging suppliers, in order to clearly illustrate “the compostable packaging solutions that can be achieved for the confectionery market," said a spokesperson for Innovia.

“We were inundated with queries about the packaging at Interpack. Hopefully, these will translate into a breakthrough for the compostable film in terms of its wide adoption in the confectionery arena,” she said.

The compostable packaging partnership involved German confectioner Kalfany, Innovia Films, BASF and the Flint Group.

The outer bag that resulted is a lamination of two grades of compostable NatureFlex from Innovia, which are individually certified compostable, said Innovia.

These are laminated with a compostable adhesive from BASF, its Epotal ECO.

The Flint Group said the FlexiPrint MV ink system it supplied is heavy metal-free and also suitable for composting.

Flint also claims the system, which is free of TAA and phthalates, provides high colour strength and gloss.

Innovia said that the individually twist wrapped sweets in the pack are wrapped in a single layer of certified compostable NatureFlex, which “would usually compost in 6-8 weeks in industrial conditions.”

“The structure has not been tested for compostability to EN 13432, but if it was to be used commercially it would be subject to the necessary testing in order to be certified compostable,” said the Innovia spokesperson.

Andy Sweetman, business development and sustainability manger at Innovia, said previously that teaming up with other material suppliers, in this way, results in a packaging construction that mimics the process of traditional polyester and polypropylene based systems.

This results, he said, in bio-packaging that can provide the same barrier properties, printability, heat resistance as oil-based plastics, while also ensuring seal integrity.

Source: Innovia