FachPack is all about paper and plastics, amongst others focusing on package design options. Another important question is when does it make sense to use material combinations? How sustainable are material combinations and what are their environmental impacts? Answers to these questions are provided in a Life Cycle Assessment study (LCA) that Wipak has commissioned. The results of this study will be presented at FachPack.
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“Energy consumption, ozone production or global warming – material combi-nations based on paper and plastics can be more sustainable than plastics solutions”, Dr. Annett Kaeding-Koppers, the Wipak Group’s Sustainability Rep-resentative explains. On behalf of Wipak, the PE International sustainability experts compared film packages, such as used in Germany for sausage and cheese, with paper composite solutions offering identical functionality, includ-ing different amounts of paper in the top web and in the tray web.
One result: The use of paper in general has a positive influence on the reduc-tion of carbon emissions. This means that the impact on the greenhouse effect is smaller than it is for the reference systems made of pure plastics that were also examined in the study. There were also clear improvements in terms of ozone production, i.e. the reduction of summer smog.
Paper cannot replace plastics
There is no silver bullet. Paper cannot fully replace plastics since it does not meet the high demands in terms of optimum product protection. The ideal ma-terial mix depends on the food products to be packaged as well as on the functions to be provided by a package.
Broad range of packaging solutions
Consumers expect a responsive use of resources. This expectation also influ-ences package development. Using paper composites, the Wipak Group has responded to the trend towards sustainability at an early stage, complement-ing the product range of high-quality multi-layer and barrier films with more innovative paper composites later on. A selection of composite concepts will be presented by Wipak at the FachPack exhibition. The “Paper Top“ version e.g. replaces paper polyester as a print carrier. The amount of renewable re-sources reaches approximately 35 percent so that the use of fossil raw mate-rials has been reduced by about 30 percent. With the “Paper Bottom“ version, the amount of paper can reach more than 50 percent, depending on the com-posite structure.
New marketing approaches
While paper composite solutions are still niche products, their market share grows constantly. Paper composites offer new unique selling propositions at the POS. Using the knowledge of how sustainable a packaging really is, com-panies are able to differentiate themselves from the competition, assuming a more credible position in the customer’s view. It is therefore worthwhile taking a closer look even just for the marketing aspects alone. Visitors attending FachPack will have the opportunity to do just this.
Wipak at FachPack
Hall 7/ Stand 7-233
More info:
www.wipak.com
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