RISE OF FLEXIBLE PACKAGING INNOVATIONS IN THE COVID ERA

Owing to the rising consumer concern about a wide range of environmental challenges, from climate change to ocean waste, Packaging industry across the globe is changing from the fundamental of being instrumental towards increasing product shelf life, making the product attractive for branding, decreasing product wastage to being sustainable and have made environmental concerns a top priority across industries and geographies. Flexible packaging is particularly significant due to its ubiquitous nature, and during a brief period in which COVID-19-related issues temporarily dominated environmental concerns, the need for eco-friendly packaging solutions across the globe did not fade. The scope of this article is to provide comprehensive information on the newer packaging designs, concepts and products, which were developed during this critical period due to strong inclination towards packaging innovation.

We all know, certain types of packaging can have a significant impact on the environment at every stage of production, from raw material sourcing to manufacturing, shipping, and disposal. As a result, packaging makers and businesses play a critical role in bringing environmentally friendly packaging into the mainstream.?

Sustainable packaging must consider more than just the packing materials: the entire product life cycle must be considered.

With consumer demand for eco-friendly packaging is on the rise, manufacturers look for new ways to bring innovative solutions to customers, improving their practices and the packaging market view several strategic methods such as collaboration, mergers & acquisitions, expansion, and product/ technology launches coupled with strategic investments to drive R&D activities and plans for expansion.

Governments, corporations, and consumers are focused on the recyclability of packaging materials as economies change from a "linear economy model" (with disposal at the product use end) to a "circular economy model" (with reuse or recycling at the product use end). Furthermore, inefficient plastic collecting techniques and recycling technology result in significant plastic recycling losses.?

In view of the rising plastic pollution across the globe, retailers are switching to more environment-friendly (recyclabe, compostable, and reusable) packaging solutions which is the only viable option to minimize the hazardous effect of plastic. Eco-friendly packaging has also stirred hype among consumers who are well aware of the damaging impacts of plastic waste in the environment.

Keeping in mind the growing concern for a clean environment, over the past decade, many consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies have vocalized various commitments, particularly from a packaging perspective. From pledging to achieve 100% recyclable, compostable or reusable packaging to reducing global use of virgin petroleum plastic, today’s leading CPG brands are making dedicated efforts to improve the environment-friendly of their packaging and rethink their entire systems — from supply and processes to downstream efforts.

Today, the need for smart and eco-friendly packaging is more acute than ever. As companies begin to increasingly adopt environment conscious packaging methods maximizing the use of recyclable and biodegradable materials, various innovative alternatives have surfaced. Adopting environment-friendly packaging practices not only boosts the brand’s environmental and social impact but can also help the firm to increase corporate social responsibility and support communities by creating employment and resource conservation.?

Let’s have a glance at some of the innovative packaging materials that have been developed by different companies across the globe to address the need of the current environmental situation.?

Coveris has teamed up with Demavic, a French pet food company, to launch a new line of therapeutic pet kibble in a recyclable monomaterial bag.

Cedo's Good Karma trash sacks are said to be manufactured entirely of recycled plastic and have antibacterial technology. These sacks are designed for use in the home and can be recycled.

As part of its EcoFloat portfolio, CCL has introduced a low-density polyolefin sleeve for PP dairy cups. Paper banderoles, which have grown increasingly popular for dairy cups, can be replaced with the EcoFloat material. Banderoles, on the other hand, are made up of a variety of materials and are not always recycled because it is up to the consumer to remove the material from the bottle.?

Because the polyolefin sleeve solution has a low shrinkage rate, it may be used to cover a wide range of cup forms. It's also good for high-quality printing and has 360-degree graphics coverage to help you stand out on the shelf.

PopPack’s patented EasyPop technology permits flexible and semi-rigid packaging to be opened with the pop of an air bubble incorporated into its design. Replacing difficult-to-open seals, the air bubble draws on familiar sensory experiences to guide consumer engagement and provide tamper protection.?

EasyPop permits flexible packaging for applications like food and beverages to be opened by children where desirable by eliminating the requirement for ripping, cutting, or shredding the package - which could involve sharp equipment or even use of teeth. This provides autonomy and, as a result, engagement to people of all ages, and can be used in conjunction with branding directed primarily towards youngsters. Furthermore, EasyPop allows consumers to open packages one-handed and often in a single action, which can aid the elderly and those consumers with physical challenges. As the bubble is sensorily unique from the rest of the packaging, the "tactile" and "intuitive" features of EasyPop could help blind?or partially sighted persons open it.

EasyPop is designed to work with smart devices and sensors to provide real-time supply chain information. It can also integrate with smart packaging that combines technology like as NFC and tokenization to provide clients with traceability options.?

The air bubble system can also be set to allow resealing, allowing for the reuse of packaging and the preservation of food and beverage freshness for longer periods of time.

Bio-digestible barrier coatings can enhance paper recycling rates and fibre yield without affecting functionality, according to a recent study commissioned by DS Smith and Aquapak.?

Hydropol is a "commercially accessible totally soluble, biodigestible barrier polymer" invented by Aquapak that may be adhesive- or extrusion-coated onto paper. This gives fibre-based packaging a number of advantages, including oil and grease resistance as well as a high gas barrier. Its "non-toxic, marine safe, dissolves in water and then biodegrades," but it still has the functionality that food, drink, and household product packaging need.

Mondi introduces the RetortPouch Recyclable, a monomaterial solution that reportedly uses a high-barrier film instead of aluminium to make the pouch "100% recyclable."

EMSUR, a flexible packaging company, has introduced EM-Full RFlex, a new line of polyethylene and polypropylene-based flexible packaging designed to improve recyclability and food preservation.

Parkside, a flexible packaging company, teamed up with Addo Food Group to create a eco-friendly and recloseable bag for Addo's Asda festive mini sausage rolls. A PET tray and lid solution with a heat-seal lidding film laminate and built-in reclose technology is included in the package. In addition to being 100 percent recyclable, the pack has better barrier effectiveness, allowing items to stay fresher for longer.

TIPA has launched its first compostable, highly transparent laminate for food packaging at home. T.LAM 608, a two-ply transparent laminate from TIPA, has a medium barrier and outstanding sealing, optical, and mechanical qualities. It can be made into pre-made pouches such stand-up pouches, zipper pouches, open pouches, side gusseted pouches, pillow bag, and bar wrapper.

RockFruit, a lightweight, recyclable heat seal lidding film intended exclusively for the fresh produce sector, has been launched by Sappi Rockwell Solutions.

Tishwish, a global brand that creates customised mailers and accessories, creates goods that are 100 percent recyclable and printed with vegetable-based inks. The majority of the company's packaging decomposes in 3 to 6 months, providing clients with an environmentally responsible option to send customised, zero-waste shipments.

JOI, a clean label food company, has created compostable pouches for the JOI Oat Milk Powder. These are the first ever dairy alternative packaging that will completely decompose and are safe for home and community composting wherever accepted.?

Nature Nate’s Honey Co., a honey company in the U.S. and producer of pure, raw and unfiltered honey, launched a sustainable, 16-ounce pouch. The no–drip, no–mess, stand-cap packaging provides consumers an easy-to-squeeze, flexible way to enjoy every drop of Nature Nate’s honey.

Dow and Bolloré have joined together on a pilot project that enables the use of recycled content in new food-contact packaging applications which can in turn be recycled after use. Bollore’s OXBTEC_RCB (Recyclable Circular-Based) barrier shrink film is produced with high quality circular polymers from Dow.

According to a report in “Packaging Europe” magazine, in September 2021, Food and beverages giant Mondelēz in an announcement said that its Cadbury Dairy Milk range sold in the UK and Ireland will be made with packaging containing up to 30% recycled plastic.

In December 2019, in an article in “confectionerynews.com”, which reports Mondelēz International launched its Cadbury Energy bar in 100% recyclable paper packaging, as part of an exclusive trial in New Zealand, the wrapper is made from sustainability sourced paper, and marks the first time the company has used a paper material that doesn’t include laminates, foils or plastic for fully sealed flow-wrap packaging.

Nestlé introduced in June 2020 fully recyclable paper packaging for its of its Smarties chocolate candies – the fully recyclable paper packaging that the global confectionery brand claims to be first of its kind in the world according to an article in the packaging world. Further, the Nestlé Institute of Packaging Sciences is also looking on innovative paper-based materials and biodegradable/compostable polymers that are also recyclable. For its water business, Nestlé is also working with Danimer Scientific to develop a marine biodegradable and recyclable bottle.

Gerber and Piltti baby food use a first-of-its-kind, single material pouch designed to increase recycling value, highlighting on the package the key achievement “The 1st single-material pouch designed for the future of recycling” instead of highlighting the conventionally mentioned key ingredients in the composition.

A report published in the magazine “Beauty Packaging” suggests that P&G's Fabric & Home Care products, such as Ariel, Lenor, and Dash pods bags and Fairy Automatic Dishwashing capsules bags, began migrating from multilayer, non-recyclable flexible packaging to single layer, recyclable Polyethylene packaging in Europe.

With the aim of ensuring the plastic packaging they use to be 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, Unilever began working with film supplier Inapel in Latin America in early 2020 to produce a new form of pouch for Knorr that is constructed of three layers of the same polypropylene (PP) material. This makes them considerably easier to recycle, and they can eventually be recycled into a flexible PP film or a hard plastic application.

According to a report published in September 2021 suggests PepsiCo is introducing a fully compostable bag made from non-food, plant-based materials. The bag was first used on Frito-Lay’s plant-based Off the Eaten Path brand, which are available at Whole Foods stores in the US from this month.

Environment friendly packaging solutions are no longer a choice rather it’s a responsibility that every player working in packaging industry have to shoulder.?

Government policies, consumer preferences, and corporate standards are demanding that businesses implement eco-compliant packaging practices to reduce their environmental impact. These environmental concerns are demanding the use of more eco-friendly packaging options, but fortunately for business owners, these solutions can actually help to save money in the long run.?

Environmentally-friendly packaging will improve the brand image, as it shows to the clients that the organization is a responsible organization that cares about the environment. This can lead to increased sales, furthering company’s revenue stream and profits.?

Sustainable packaging tends to be incredibly versatile, and it can be used in almost every major industry that utilizes standard packaging. Regardless of what you need to package or ship, there is some eco-friendly option available that can meet consumer needs.?

Yansefu with its state-of-the-art R&D and production infrastructure and engaging work culture works closely with its customers, brand-owners to provide efficient and newer ink, adhesive and coatings solutions to accelerate development of innovative packaging solutions.