Sustainable Packaging: Eco-Friendly and Unbreakable

Bioplastics are on the advance

Manufacturers of established packaging materials must, however, expect increasing competition from bioplastics. These may not be as versatile as conventional oil-based plastics, but they make up for this with ever improving properties. The British company Innovia Films recently launched a biodegradable plastic film for food products: known as Natureflex, it is 100 percent compostable. According to head of marketing Andy Sweetman, this multilayer biofilm forms an excellent barrier against moisture and gases, so that packaged products such as biscuits retain their crispness over a long time. The German bioplastics producer FKuR Kunststoff also focuses on excellent barrier properties. The company’s products include multilayer biofilms that also prevent leakage from eco-nappies. A new development from FKuR is biopackaging suitable for very low temperatures, which is used for frozen food. The rapid advance of bioplastic packaging is also reflected at the interpack trade fair. At interpack 2005, only 250 square meters were devoted to this theme within a special exhibit but at interpack 2011 it will cover about 2,000 square meters of regular exhibit space.