Huhtamaki, leading global packaging solutions company, has developed a ground-breaking mono-material technology for flexible packaging that meets the demands of both its customers and their consumers. The innovative and sustainable flexible packaging, available in Paper, PE and PP Retort has been designed using science to set new standards in packaging.
Announcing its game-changing innovation, Dr. Marco Hilty, President of Flexible Packaging at Huhtamaki outlined its importance, "These blueloopTM innovations are both unique to Huhtamaki and transformational. They simultaneously deliver recyclability, with no compromise in either product protection or affordability. This is the power of three."
Huhtamaki's new mono-material technology is recyclable, compostable, and reusable, aligning with the direction of future policy, both in the EU and globally. The innovations ensure flexible packaging affordability - especially important to consumers across the world, and provide the high level of product protection, for food and household essentials. The previously complex structures will be simplified and use fewer materials, without the need for an aluminium layer or other barriers. This will increase the value of post-consumer material, providing a greater economic incentive for recycling and supporting circularity.
In 2020 Huhtamaki set the target of making its packaging 100 per cent recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2030. While 70 per cent of its packaging already recyclable, an area of technical challenge has been lightweight flexible packaging. Although it delivers huge benefits - reducing transport emissions, preventing food waste, and supporting affordability, it is not recyclable in today's post-consumer recovery streams.
Huhtamaki will be launching three unique and powerful sustainable solutions in mono-material flexible packaging, designed to recycle and use fewer materials than the conventional complex and multi-layered materials they are meant to replace.
Huhtamaki's innovation provides mono-material flexible packaging in three alternative material solutions: PAPER, PE (polyethylene) and PP (polypropylene) Retort, fit for the most demanding applications. With a mono-material share of up to 95 per cent for PE, and at least 90 per cent for PAPER and PP, the new solutions do not compromise in protection barriers, recyclability, and affordability. The amount of material used has been minimised for increased resource efficiency. Huhtamaki has invested into new production technologies across its production footprint, building a global supply capacity for the new innovations.
The innovations will be showcased at Interpack 2023, where Huhtamaki will present its technologies in the Huhtamaki blueroom, which is open to both existing and new customers.
