Reduce, Recycle, Replace: SÜDPACK gears up for sustainability exhibits at FachPack 2019

06 Aug 2019 --- SÜDPACK is set to showcase packaging concepts that center on a “reduce, recycle and replace” model of sustainability without compromising product safety during FachPack 2019 in Nuremberg. Notable exhibits will include films from the high-performance Multipeel series that use significantly less material, while still delivering optimal protection for sensitive products. Also on show will be the xpect series, which uses renewable materials while prioritizing protection.

“In the current debate over plastics, food packaging is especially in the crosshairs,” explains Johannes Remmele, Managing Director at SÜDPACK. “How to protect the environment, climate and valuable resources is an important question for the future of humanity – and we as an industry have to help find answers.”

“Accordingly, at the FachPack 2019 our focus will be on products and concepts that are at least one step ahead when it comes to sustainability,” Remmele says.

The Ochsenhausen-based supplier’s film experts will be demonstrating their “Roadmap for Sustainable Packaging Evolution.” The roadmap represents SÜDPACK’s comprehensive commitment to more sustainable products – from reducing material consumption to the use of renewable materials and improved recyclability. In all of these areas, the company either already offers a broad selection of sustainable solutions, or will soon bring them to market, it says.

Reduce: Less material – less strain on the environment
Especially concerning the reduction of material consumption, the film experts have made substantial advances. Today, far less granulate is required to produce the same amount of film compared to a few years ago. Thanks to “downgauging,” film solutions are getting thinner and thinner. Established products from the “Veraplex World,” for example, are being continually refined for material reduction – without compromising their performance. The MAP top film Veraplex Plus offers an especially stable lidding film, even for large packaging by using 29 percent less material.The new bottom film Ecocraft Shape is made of 80 percent paper and a thin layer of PE.

The xPET solution from the Multipeel product family offers similar efficiency. The resealable solution offers outstanding sealing qualities, making it a favorite choice for foodstuffs like cold cuts, cheeses, and bread spreads – with up to ten percent lower material consumption. In turn, the Peel xPET offers an especially broad application range with minimal film thickness. In the packaging concept, it delivers twelve percent lower material consumption, together with a reliable sealing on films made of mono-PET or crystalline PET, and on packaging with antiblock or silicone coating. 

CO2 footprint: Resource efficiency and recycling
To conserve resources, SÜDPACK not only uses downgauging but also materials that can easily be recycled or which incorporate renewable raw materials. Consequently, many of SÜDPACK’s currently available foil concepts are available in the xPEP product group; based on polyolefins, it offers increased recyclability. For example, manufacturers can opt for the Safe Peel Clear xPEP, which will also be presented at the FachPack. It delivers the same proven sealing performance as its sister products, but when used in combination with PP packaging, it’s up to 96 percent recyclable. xPEP solutions for Multifol, flow wrap and Multipeel products are also available. In this variant, Multipeel xPEP concepts offer an impressive 90 percent recyclability rating on the Ecoterm scale.

“The recyclability of our plastic solutions is one essential aspect,” says Carolin Grimbacher, Managing Director and Head of Research and Development at SÜDPACK. “At the same time, we want to improve our independence from petroleum to further reduce our films’ CO2 footprint.” In the product lines “Planova” and “xpect,” SÜDPACK is therefore focusing on renewable resources: cornstarch-based PLA for the Planova series and bio-based polyethylene (PE), derived from sugarcane, for the xpect line.All products of the xpect line – here the Flow Wrap xpect – are made of bio-based PE but are providing the same functionality as films made of conventional PE.

The range of applications for bio-based PE and PLA at SÜDPACK continues to grow: products from the xpect line are available as MAP packs, top and bottom films, and as flow packs, and provide the same functionality as those made of conventional PE. This is a major advantage for further processing: manufacturers who choose xpect line films can continue to use their current packaging machines and can design their products using rotogravure, flexo or digital printing just as they’ve done in the past while enhancing their brand image with regard to sustainability.

Craft Line: Paper for a natural shopping experience
SÜDPACK’s new film packaging solutions with paper component are another highlight at FachPack. The products Veraplex Craft, Ecocraft Skin and Ecocraft Shape form the new SÜDPACK Craft Line, which is characterized by its nature-inspired look and feel, and good printability. All solutions combine a thin layer of plastic with paper.

FachPack visitors can get to know the new bottom film Ecocraft Shape, which is particularly flexible. It is made of 80 percent paper and a thin layer of PE, on the side that comes in contact with the product. This approach saves plastic, while also making it possible to flexibly adapt the packaging to the product: the Ecocraft Shape can be deep drawn up to 15 millimeters and offers packaging with an appealing look and feel, especially for cheese, sausage and meat products. In turn, after product consumption, the Ecocraft Skin allows the cardboard and film to be easily separated: clear and simple recycling tips provided on the packaging, and easy-to-separate materials make properly sorting waste quick and easy.

Recycle and replace: Keeping the entire supply chain in mind
SÜDPACK is not only focused on using more and more recyclable plastic. Many plastics used in film manufacturing already are recycled or internally regranulated. “Plastic is a valuable raw material. That’s why, whenever possible, we use recycled material for our films,” notes Remmele. “Needless to say, in this regard quality, product protection, and hygiene remain our topmost priorities.”

Thanks to the founding of their in-house compounding center in Schwendi, SÜDPACK will soon be able to produce its own plastic granulates. By mixing and manufacturing its own granulates, the company will be able to more precisely tailor their characteristics and to accelerate the development process for new products. Here, one focus area will concern the treatment and further processing of secondary raw materials generated during production to yield regranulates. In turn, SÜDPACK will use the regranulates for its products, creating a closed material circuit.The MAP top film Veraplex Plus offers an especially stable lidding film, even for large packaging by using significantly less material.

Moreover, all products and processes at SÜDPACK are being continually refined and improved. “Respect and innovation are the keys to improved sustainability,” adds Grimbacher. “That’s why we’re investing heavily in new technologies and techniques that will make our products even better and more sustainable.”

For example, the testing facility multiXtrusion allows the experts at SÜDPACK to simulate all conventional manufacturing techniques for plastic films, and to identify how they could be optimized. This approach yields particularly resource-efficient films, for example, which can also be brought to market sooner.

SÜDPACK is also at the forefront of developing new, innovative technologies for the recycling of composite plastic films. As a partner in BASF’s pilot project “ChemCycling,” the film experts recently produced the world’s first prototype package made completely of chemically recycled plastic – an important milestone on the road to 100 percent recyclability, even for composite films.

Edited by Joshua Poole