GravityTray disrupts “disgusting” absorber sheets with juice-trapping thermoform seal technology

07 Jan 2021 --- GravityTray is launching a namesake thermoform meat tray that permanently traps juices from meat, fish, poultry or fresh fruit in a bottom tray chamber. 

The innovation omits the need for a typically unrecyclable plastic absorber sheet, garnering industry attention on social media.

The new product is first produced in Belgium, with the company currently in talks with thermoform companies in the UK, Germany, Spain, China and the US. Since its launch last week, the company has scored 150 international delivery requests.

PackagingInsights speaks with experts at GravityTray who reveal why the meat packaging industry is so hungry for lightweight, recyclable plastic trays.

The absorbers are often viewed with “disgust” by consumers, motivating GravityTrays to develop a tray without.Away with absorber sheets
Although the bottom absorber is a staple feature in standard trays for meat and fish, GravityTray identified a keen interest to replace them given apparent consumer “disgust.”

These types of single-use absorbers also don’t fully meet the food-grade safety requirements, states Luc van den Broek, vice president for R&D. Trapping and separating any excess food liquids reduces the risk of contamination. 

The company developed and patented a proprietary sealing technique to ensure a 100 percent tight seal and also performs a seal detection on every tray produced.

The key idea was to “keep the solution as simple as possible,” adds van den Broek. The GravityTray does not change the thermoforming of the tray or the filling lines and neither end consumer’s experience.

The only change relates to the foil sealing to the tray’s bottom, requiring an entirely new process. “Our sealing machines now run with zero defect, also thanks to the seal detection from [packaging quality control company] QiPack,” he details.

Liquids automatically and permanently flow to the unique bottom chamber.Circumventing EU plastic taxes
Absorber sheets can further complicate recycling. By omitting them, both the tray and the bottom seal of the GravityTrays are made of 100 percent readily recyclable PET and have a thickness of less than 350 MU. 

“The fact that we are producing the GravityTray with much lighter and thinner material is for sure also a reason so many companies are approaching us,” explains Rinze Willemsen, vice president of business development.

GravityTray customizes the bottom foil to brand colors and print designs upon high volume orders.“Of course, the EU legislation on packaging helps our success as well,” he adds. 

The EU plastics tax took effect this week, stipulating a €0.80/kg levy based on the weight of non-recycled plastic packaging waste. 

Raking in the likes on LinkedIn
GravityTray teased the launch of its trays on LinkedIn only a week ago, but the post has already garnered nearly 20,000 views and earned itself over 380 likes on social media. 

“Our first intention was only to trigger the market a little and show we are ready,” Willemsen muses. 

“We could not foresee this international interest and are under positive stress to start scaling production in several global regions.” 

By Anni Schleicher