The future is paper: SIG funds “breakthrough research” on bio-based packaging solutions
04 May 2020 --- Aseptic packaging provider SIG has teamed up with Nestlé, Logitech and other industry partners in a joint initiative to fund breakthrough research into more environmentally sustainable materials at EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, in Lausanne, Switzerland. Together, the corporate partners have committed CHF 5 million (US$5.2 million) over the next ten years to fund a new research program addressing the overall environmental impact of packaging materials and the exploration of bio-based, biodegradable and recyclable paper-based solutions.
Klaus Andresen, Senior Vice President Global Technology at SIG, tells PackagingInsights that he looks forward to results that can help replace existing plastics in the packaging industry. “This investment is placed in one of the leading universities in Europe. This means the funded chair will be integrated in the perfect environment to integrate the newest findings and results of Life Science to positively influence the bio-based and biodegradable packaging sector.”
Moreover, the investment and partnership underline SIG’s Way Beyond Good strategy, which takes a three-pronged approach. It pursues a long-term, net-positive corporate footprint by innovating smart solutions with proven sustainability throughout the life-cycle and obtaining all raw materials from certified responsible sources – all by 2030.
Research with CHF 5 million in funding may be “limited,” says Andresen, when regarded as a single contribution to drive change. “But from SIG’s point of view, this is an important partnership to underline its strategy consisting of several pillars which are all summarized in SIG’s Way Beyond Good initiative. Internally, SIG invests 3 percent of its revenue in R&D.”
“Enhancing paper-based packaging solutions goes hand-in-hand with improved environmental performance,” says Andresen.
“The future belongs to paper-based packaging”
SIG identifies paper-based packaging as having a lower carbon footprint than plastic alternatives and, consequently, the future belongs to paper-based packaging in the eyes of Andresen. Paper-based packaging is widely regarded as a viable means of providing recyclable and recycled material to society.
“Enhancing the ability and functionality of paper-based packaging solutions – such as aseptic carton packaging – goes hand-in-hand with moving toward improved environmental performance,” he highlights.
SIG’s aluminum-free aseptic packaging for dairy products, known as combibloc EcoPlus, is made of 82 percent renewable paperboard sourced from FSC-certified sustainable sources. Using combibloc EcoPlus packs results in a 28 percent lower carbon footprint than a conventional SIG carton in the same format, an independent life cycle assessment by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IFEU) confirms.
In March, SIG hit a major milestone as its one billionth combibloc EcoPlus pack for milk packaging was filled, a global first in aluminum-free aseptic cartons.
Moreover, SIG’s Signature Pack solution uses a mass balance approach to link the polymers used in the carton to 100 percent renewable, forest-based feedstock. Its carbon footprint is, on average, 66 percent lower than that of a standard SIG 1 L carton pack of the same format, based on the Europe-wide life-cycle assessment. The company is now working to create an aseptic pack made out of 100 percent renewable materials – without mass balancing or aluminum – that can be used for a range of products, including juices that are more sensitive to light and oxygen.
Positive results yielded from the EPFL program will be directly implemented in all SIG products and packaging solutions, Andresen concludes. “This partnership is the clear signal of SIG that packaging, and here especially bio-based and biodegradable solutions, are of highest importance for all of us in the coming years.”
By Anni Schleicher
