Futamura adds Cool German lollipops to NatureFlex compostable biofilm’s growing confectionery list

30 Mar 2021 --- Futamura has secured a new customer for its NatureFlex compostable cellulose films in German confectionery brand Cool. 

Cool is using the sustainably-sourced cellulose films for its Ocoologisch Herz Lolli lollipops, sold throughout Germany, primarily at wholesalers.

NatureFlex, and its big sister brand Cellophane, boast “excellent” oxygen and moisture barriers, maintaining product shelf lives comparable to conventional plastic films.

Furthermore, the bioplastic films provide effective natural dead fold, enabling easy twisting for children and consumers with dexterity challenges. The films can also be printed and laminated like conventional plastic films.

“Few would argue there should be a drive for change where conventional plastic packaging can be successfully recycled or reused,” Andy Sweetman, sales and marketing director EMEA at Futamura, tells PackagingInsights.

“However, for particularly hard-to-recycle small format items, like individual candy wrappers, biodegradable and compostable bioplastic alternatives offer a viable solution.”

NatureFlex films are wastewater biodegradable and meet all global standards for industrial composting and TŰV Austria’s OK Compost Home standard for backyard composting. 

“As they are generally consumed ‘on-the-go,’ sweet wrappers are a high litter risk. While we strongly advocate proper waste management, the fact is, if our wrapper were to end up in the environment, its impact would be less damaging than a plastic film that would take hundreds of years to break down,” explains Sweetman.NatureFlex films meet TŰV Austria’s OK Compost Home standard for backyard composting.

Individual lollies, individuals wrappers
Ocoologisch Herz Lolli is a lollipops range including six flavors: strawberry, cherry, orange, lemon, apple and coke.

The individual lollies are wrapped in single-ply NatureFlex, while the outer bag is a NatureFlex biofilm laminate. Both packaging solutions are printed and converted by the Dutch company Bio4Pack.

In difficult-to-recycle small format applications such as confectionery, this means NatureFlex films can go straight into the garden compost bin, diverting waste from landfill.

“We were looking for an ‘environmentally friendly’ variant of this type of packaging and found a suitable price-performance ratio at NatureFlex,” shares André Richter at Cool.

“We have found the machine performance to be good and in no way inferior to other conventional films. We regularly receive good feedback from consumers who feel it is very positive we care about the environment, often asking if there are other products using these biofilms.”

Yasar Tuerkoglu, sales manager at Bio4pack, adds: “We use NatureFlex films for a number of our customers, either on their own or as part of bio-laminate. We have found consumers really care about the environmental impact of their packaging.”A Tipa-commissioned review found “landslide expert support” for compostable packaging.

“Composting is a great solution that is part of a growing circular economy. It is particularly important for high-litter risk packs like small format confectionery, such as these lolly wrappers.”

“If they do accidentally end up in the environment, we know the packs will safely break down, not stay around for hundreds of years. Although we would never advocate littering, always composting.”

Compostables on the rise
Belgian Ice-cream Group (BIG) also recently adopted NatureFlex renewable and home-compostable films for its ice lolly packaging.

Meanwhile, a Tipa-commissioned review has found “landslide expert support” for compostable packaging across the EU to reduce plastic contamination in organic waste streams and increase the amount of food waste captured for recycling.

PackagingInsights recently explored packaging innovation in the confectionery sector. With legislative pressure and consumer demands for more eco-friendly packaging intensifying, packaging innovators are responding with recyclable plastic solutions, as well as bioplastic and fiber-based alternatives.

By Joshua Poole