Neopac cuts virgin plastic in new lightweighted tubes for cosmetics and personal care products

16 May 2022 --- Packaging provider Neopac is introducing its Eco-Stripped Tube, which features a 30% reduction in overall virgin materials. It has a reduced sleeve wall thickness with a comparable materials reduction in the shoulder and cap.

“The concept behind our new Eco-Stripped Tube is ‘undress to progress,’ meaning a key tool in moving toward a circular economy is overall materials reduction – and virgin plastics reduction specifically,” details Cornelia Schmid, head of marketing at Neopac.

“As a company, we’re continuing to push our [environmental] sustainability efforts further without sacrificing product protection, haptics, esthetics or other qualities brand owners hold dear.”

The company adds that the advantages of Eco-Stripped Tubes for buyers of cosmetics and personal care products are numerous.

To begin with, the Eco-Stripped Tubes have a lower carbon footprint. Neopac adds that four Eco-Stripped Tubes may be created with the same amount of materials as three conventional tubes of the same size.

The new tube will add to reduced overall plastics leading to reduced Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fines, sometimes known as “plastic taxes,” and lower shipping expenses.

Creating “lower-profile” shoulder and cap design
The new tubes from Neopac come in size D50 tubes. These “sleek” Eco-Stripped tubes sit 9.4 mm lower with a 3.75 g weight reduction without sacrificing performance.

Neopac says the Eco-Stripped Tube has “capped off” its aim to reduce plastics in its tube designs.The latest in Neopac’s EcoDesign series, Eco-Stripped Tube, is an “evolution” of its lightweight tube as it reduces sleeve wall thickness from 0.5 mm to 0.35 mm.

The next-generation Eco-Stripped Tube builds upon this sleeve weight reduction to create a trimmed-down tube construction.

Eco-Stripped Tubes are a green alternative to typical PE, PP, and coextruded tubes, with diameters ranging from 30 to 50 mm and contents ranging from 40 to 300 ml. Tamper-evident (first-opening) solutions are also available for added security and safety.

Neopac believes that the new tubes will save up to 7.7 tons of HDPE and PP materials per million tubes manufactured in its packaging plants. This amounts to a reduction in CO2 emissions of over 29 tons per million tubes manufactured.

Neopac’s previous packaging
Neopac previously enhanced the appearance of its cosmetic tubes by adding two additional flexo decoration stations and introducing a new tube line for a capacity extension.

The company received the US Association of Plastic Recyclers’ approval as recyclable in existing waste streams for its polyfoil monomaterial barrier tube. It also released a line of monomaterial barrier tubes touted to provide high product protection while fully compatible with high-density polyethylene recycling processes.

Edited by Nicole Kerr