Page 42 - Packaging News July - August 2019

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FLEXIBLE PACKAGING
www.packagingnews.com.au
July-August 2019
Call to clean up claims
Liz Haywood of PA Packaging Solutions makes the case for home compostable flexible packaging accreditation.
currently hold certification for home compostability of food packaging.
HOME COMPOSTABLE PACKAGING ACCREDITATION
Comprehensive testing for home compostable flexible packaging vali-
dates that the whole package will break down toxin free within 26 weeks (maximum) under the tem-
peratures in a home compost bin. Both the TUV and ABA use percentage guidelines under each testing criteria to determine whether to certify a package as home compostable. The ABA has tougher guidelines, with lower allowable percentages of toxins. Testing requires every component used to produce the packaging to be environmentally friendly – not only the physical packaging material itself, but also the printing ink and the adhesives used to bind the layers to ensure the high barrier
required for food.
When home compostable packag-
ing has gone through the testing phase with TUV or ABA and suc- cessfully been granted the accredi- tation, the packaging itself is given a certificate with a unique number.
We all have a responsibility to be diligent in our research and checks when choosing eco-friendly packag- ing for our food and products. Consumers are called to put pres- sure on food companies to verify the claims on their packaging, and food brand owners are calling on packag- ing suppliers to substantiate their environmentally sound packaging claims with accreditation. ■
AS THE consumer demand for eco-friendly packaging heats up (from one third of us,
according to Mintel’s 2019 Global Food and Drink Trends report), the smart packaging suppliers are on the case. New and innovative alternatives to plastic and flexible packaging that can be diverted from landfill and
recycling are hitting the market. However, are these packaging alternatives as eco-friendly as the packaging suppliers claim? Current- ly in Australia and New Zealand, logos are being printed on packaging and claims are made about the
eco-friendliness and compostability of packaging without having to substantiate them – and it seems no-one is checking these claims.
This can have disastrous conse- quences for the environment. In the case of home compostable packag- ing, untested and unsubstantiated compostability claims may see petrochemical or plastic particles entering our food chain. Indepen- dent testing and accreditations are one solution to contesting these incorrect claims. TUV Austria and the Australasian Bioplastics Associ- ation (ABA) are two reputable accreditation associations which
MAIN: A clear, duplex, home compostable, high barrier paper laminate with TUV OK Compost Home.
ABOVE: A multi-layer laminate with TUV OK Compost Home accreditation, rigorously tested for eco-toxicity.
BARRIER PACKAGING FILMS FOR THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Innovia Films has launched the first of its new range of transparent high barrier packaging films, Propafilm Strata SL. It has been designed to be a standalone mono filmic solution, to be used in laminate constructions to be ‘recycle ready’, or recyclable in countries which have the infrastructure to recycle polypropylene films.
Alasdair McEwen, global product manager packaging, Innovia Films explains, “Our new in-house technology has enabled us to produce a totally new film with unique barrier properties. Strata SL has a very effective barrier to aroma,
mineral oils and oxygen even at high relative humidity levels, ensuring increased shelf life and reduced food waste.”
The fact that this film is transparent enables wrapped products to be seen by the consumer, a growing trend in the food industry. This glossy film is also food contact compliant and chlorine free.
“This new development is very timely in view of the industry move towards recyclability and a circular economy. Our next product launch will follow very soon and will offer even higher barrier levels,” says McEwen.