Huhtamaki launches polyolefin-based barrier laminate for recyclable shampoo sachets

08 Nov 2019 --- In a bid to address rising environmental concerns, Huhtamaki Flexible Packaging has introduced a recyclable, polyolefin-based barrier flexible packaging solution for shampoo sachets. A polyolefin-based barrier laminate for shampoo sachets is already commercially available while solutions for coffee, detergent, jams, ketchup, soaps and dry soups have passed trials and are ready for wider market adoption.

“Achieving a commercially feasible recyclable solution required a significant amount of R&D,” says Ashwini Singh, Associate Vice President of Innovation and Product Development at Huhtamaki India.

The pressure was on this recyclable solution to perform as well as traditional laminates on the company’s existing packaging machinery. “To reach the ideal solution, we collaborated with different teams in the packaging value chain, as well as with our customers. Time and technical resources were invested to ensure that our customers’ line efficiency is not compromised when changing to a recyclable material,” Singh continues. 

Click to EnlargeThe packaging label reads, “I’m recyclable. Please dispose in the recycling bin.”Consumer convenience is also an important element in any functional packaging solution. The Huhtamaki R&D team added an easy-tear feature to the shampoo laminate to facilitate its opening.

Blueloop platform
Previously, Huhtamaki’s R&D team in India established fully recyclable flexible packaging solutions for several product categories under the blueloop platform.

“The blueloop platform was made in order to help our customers bring recyclable solutions to the market and make them more circular. We engage with our customers to move away from PVT solutions and closer to mono-material solutions,” Michael Hahl, Director of Sustainability at Huhtamaki Flexibles, told PackagingInsights from the showfloor of CPhI, hosted in Frankfurt, Germany this week. 

Huhtamaki India is ready to broaden and has already tested a range of sustainable packaging solutions for different applications under the Huhtamaki blueloop platform. Hahl notes that the company already offers recyclable solutions in tube form as well as the Huhtamaki PushTab, which is a blister replacement pack made out of film. These innovations also fall into the mono-material and PVC and PVD replacing categories.

In terms of packaging recyclability, Hahl considers the company’s product portfolio as an opportunity. “Closing the loop makes a lot of sense and provides consumer convenience. Closed loop solutions are opportunities in the recycling systems but also opportunities to engage with customers,” he concludes. 

By Anni Schleicher, with additional reporting by Laxmi Haigh 

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