Films for the Future

Film materials have enjoyed increased usage in the packaging arena for many years now, and this trend will no doubt continue. There are, however, significant, broad-based considerations that will impact the nature and degree of its overall growth in the years ahead.

A couple of these considerations you have undoubtedly heard of (if you haven’t, you probably couldn’t count yourself among the living). One is the general upward trend in oil costs, also known as skyrocketing oil prices. The other is sustainability, which is being driven by a growing consensus that we are simply consuming the earth’s resources too rapidly and leaving behind earth-damaging by-products.

Although petroleum-based materials will continue to dominate the packaging landscape for years to come, the use of film materials derived from other, more earth-friendly sources is becoming more common. A class of products coming to the forefront in people’s lives is bio-based in nature, derived from starches found in plants. These products include not only alternative fuels such as ethanol, but also packaging materials.

Several new package designs have been implemented in recent months using EarthFirst®, a film manufactured and supplied by Plastic Suppliers using NatureWorks LLC’s Ingeo™ polylactic acid (PLA) resin that is produced from plants. Seal-It, a division of Printpack, Inc., recently produced a family of four full-body shrink sleeves for AgroLabs, Inc.’s “Naturally” line of nutritional supplements. According to Seal-It, AgroLabs’ objectives included source reduction and a more sustainable package for its club store members.

Paul Pritchett, sales and marketing manager for Seal-It, says his company offers EarthFirst PLA film to its customers for shrink sleeve label applications and for tamper-evident bands. “This product provides an alternative to traditional petroleum-based shrink films,” he notes. “It’s made from plants, an annually renewable resource and it’s compostable. In addition, it is more stable than other shrink films and shrink initiates faster in the heat tunnel. This equates to less energy used as you can turn down your tunnels and run PLA product through at faster speeds.”

Pritchett touches on one of EarthFirst’s strong attributes. “The strength of EarthFirst is in its heat tolerance, especially when used with flexible packaging,” says Rich Eichfeld, VP of business development for Plastic Suppliers. “While some PLA materials can handle environmental conditions up to 104°F, EarthFirst is rated above 120°F. In terms of processing functionality, EarthFirst is rated above 140°F.”

Processing comparisons

Seal-It has long specialized in shrink label applications, and Pritchett says that EarthFirst compares favorably with the other shrink films the company uses. “Earthfirst PLA film’s performance is comparable to traditional petroleum-based films like PVC, PETG, and OPS. It has a high shrink percentage, rivaling PETG. It has excellent machineability, clarity, and printability, and can be printed using rotogravure or flexo. EarthFirst PLA is superior to other shrink films in that shrink initiates faster and it’s stable at higher storage temperatures,” he expands.

Eichfeld notes one reason why EarthFirst provides good printability. “[It] has a natural dyne level of 38 versus about 32 to 34 for traditional films,” he says. Therefore, the need for surface preparation such as corona treatment, is reduced.

Sustainable solutions

With sustainability a growing concern, companies are doing what they can to present customers with more earth-friendly products. Gilbreth Packaging, another customer of Plastic Suppliers, has recently used EarthFirst film to provide innovative shrink labeling for two of its customers.

Chomp Inc. introduced its new, all-natural Sniffers® Shake-Ins™ pet food product line. Gilbreth recommended using the all-natural EarthFirst PLA film for its shrink labels to go along with the brand’s all-natural product.

More recently, Gibreth supported Quaker Oats in its efforts to reinforce the wholesome brand position of its whole grain cereal products. Gilbreth is now supplying EarthFirst tamper-evident bands for the Quaker Oats products, replacing the previous PVC banding.

Innovia Films also offers a biodegradable, compostable film material, called NatureFlex™. This product is cellulose-based, derived from renewable wood pulp sourced from suppliers operating under Good Forestry principals (FSC or equivalent), according to the company.

Australian-based Gingerbread Folk recently selected ­NatureFlex to package its line of gingerbread biscuits. Owner Karen Sharman explained the reasons for its selection. “We were looking for environmentally sound packaging to complement our all-natural gingerbread and ethical business philosophy,” she relates. “We tried many films, but loved the look and feel of NatureFlex and found the material’s properties the most suitable for our purposes.”

Packsys converted and supplied the NatureFlex film for the Gingerbread Folk pack. Clive Jacobs of Packsys says, “As a plastic packaging converter, we have an obligation and responsibility to promote and advise our customers of the compostable and sustainable substrates available. NatureFlex, out of all the available materials, suits itself extremely well to automated production like flow wrapping or bag making.”

Eichfeld believes that bio-based products, such as EarthFirst, can be important elements in the search for effective sustainabilty solutions. He is seeing a lot of interest from both printers and brand owners. “Sustainability is here to stay,” he says. “It’s not a fad. Society embraces it; brand owners embrace it. For longer-term viability, companies need to embrace it.”

For Pritchett, education will help drive the use of bio-based films. “Consumers think mostly about disposal issues, like recycling. If we can get consumers thinking about the other sustainability advantages that bio-based films have to offer, they may begin to favor these products,” he says. pP