Replacement for laminate

Laminates are often created from marketing and/or functional requirements, it shines beautifully, it has a certain strength, it is resistant to high temperatures in the production process and in a number of cases it provides the necessary barrier for a longer shelf life. Unfortunately, due to the composition of several different materials in laminates, it is usually not possible to recycle it.

For a large number of packaging applications, we see that the laminate can be easily replaced by a non-laminated PE variant that is highly recyclable. An example is the frozen packaging for vegetables, fruit and French fries, for example. Our special (FFS) PE film with extra stiffness can provide the desired stiffness of the packaging, without having to make concessions for the protection and shelf life of the product. Meanwhile, we can also supply this film in a variant that can be processed on heat seal systems without any problems or modifications.

As far as KIVO is concerned, the development of recyclable applications is essential for making packaging more sustainable. There are examples of laminate packaging whose design has gone beyond its purpose. A shelf life of 2 years for candy wrappers with a turnover rate of a few months, or a rigid bag that should not crumple due to aesthetic requirements, of course gives reason to think. In specific cases, customers will have to be prepared to make small concessions on, for example, the look and feel of the product. Of course, together we will have to make sure that the more sustainable packaging designs do not come at the expense of food waste and processing (waste). KIVO believes that there is still a lot of room for improvement and is happy to work together with the market on this. This also ties in nicely with the signing of the European Plastic Pact.