Some of the standout packaging being highlighted at Anuga FoodTec 2024 includes aluminium free aseptic cartons, seaweed films, top wrap labelling and paper-based trays.
Author – Nerida Kelton FAIP, vice president Sustainability & Save Food, WPO, executive director, AIP.
Joining 39,999 other people from 133 countries I recently ticked off my first participation at Anuga FoodTec which was held in Cologne, Germany.
As Anuga FoodTec is the leading international trade exhibition for the food and beverage industries the World Packaging Organisation (WPO) decided to exhibit for the first time and also participate in three speaking sessions during the four-day show.
I had the opportunity to visit some of the exhibition stands, talk to a number of exhibitors and see what is new, innovative, intuitive. I was particularly looking for packaging that is recycle ready, offers improvements to packaging to provide lower environmental impacts, new advancements in paper and renewable materials and any save food packaging design.
Some of the standout packs that I wanted to share were the SIG Alu Free cartons, Sea6 Energy seaweed films and novel products, Multivac Paperboard and G.Mondini Paper2Skin.
SIG Alu Free cartons
SIG Alu Free cartons are an aseptic carton with no aluminium layer. The carton is FSC certified paperboard, is fully recyclable and produced with 100 per cent renewable energy. The SIG Alu free carton has a carbon footprint up to 27 per cent lower than standard SIG packaging material, thanks to a unique composite with no aluminium layer. It is specifically designed for liquid dairy products such as plain white UHT milk, cream, and other oxygen-insensitive products. The carton is made from up to 82% renewable paperboard, with ultra-thin polymer layers to contain and protect products over long periods of time without the need for refrigeration.
SIG also recently added the option to link to 100% forest -based renewable materials via a mass-balance system. The SIG Alu free carton is another step to remove aluminium form aseptic cartons but still maintain shelf life and barrier for products. www.sig.biz
Sea6 Energy developing seaweed-based films
Seaweeds, characterised by their efficient utilisation of solar energy and minimal resource requirements, offer a promising solution to address the pressing challenges of resource scarcity and environmental degradation.
Headquartered in Bangalore, Sea6 Energy believes that there is a critical need to design innovation strategies to meet the escalating demand for raw materials, particularly within the packaging industry.
Sea6 Energy are developing seaweed based, compostable films that can be used for packaging of FMCG goods and fast foods. These films, when discarded into the environment, will compost in a few months and are available in Food and Non-food grades.
The utilisation of seaweed biomass extends beyond traditional boundaries, encompassing the production of bio stimulants for agriculture and horticulture, food and feed ingredients, and the development of innovative biomaterials tailored for the packaging industry. Sea6 Energy is actively engaged in research and development efforts to formulate seaweed-derived biomaterials such as coatings, and extrusion compounds for flexible films and rigids.
These biomaterials offer several advantages, including biodegradability, renewability, and reduced environmental impact, positioning them as sustainable alternatives to traditional packaging materials. The commercialisation of first materials is targeted within the next 12 months. I look forward to watching Sea6 Energy developments in the future.
www.sea6energy.com/solutions/bio-plastics/
Multivac sustainable packaging solutions
Visting the Multivac stand at Anuga FoodTec actually took two trips as there was so much to discover in the way of advancements in sustainable packaging solutions, fibre-based trays and some very impressive top wrap and top
close labelling.
PaperBoard – formable paper
The PaperBoard series has been designed to eliminate single use plastics, reduce the use of plastics and improve recyclability of the packs.
PaperBoard material can be run on packaging systems in the form of rolls, pre-cuts, or trays. Paper fibre and cardboard composites with different grammages and functional layers are available. The use of functional layers makes it possible to produce paper-based packs that meet the barrier property requirements of the respective product.
What I personally like about the PaperBoard series is that the design is a step ahead of many other available solutions in the market for separability of the components for recycling. So many consumers get frustrated by some of the packs on the market as they can’t easily separate the film from the paper. This in turn means that the separable components end up in the wrong disposal bin and the pack that has been promoted as reducing single use plastic and being more sustainable is not meeting sustainable design standards.
The PaperBoard design however does separate easily as I tested multiple packs. The design features are intuitive and ensure that the paper and the film can in fact be easily and quickly separated by a consumer. www.multivac.com
G. Mondini Paper2Skin
Another paper-based solution that I saw on the G.Mondini stand was Paper2Skin which is a unique and innovative paper top skin web technology designed to take packaging to the next level. The pack has been designed to eliminate single use plastics, use less materials at the start and ensure that the materials can be separated and recycled easily.
The Paper2Skin material is FSC/PEFC certified, is designed to be able to separate the components for recyclability and is easily openable and separable for the consumer. The pack offers a uniquely shaped window and the laser cutting of paper allows each brand to be able to create several window shapes depending on the product shape and size. https://www.gmondini.com/
Anuga FoodTec has always been on my bucket list of global trade shows that I have wanted to see, and it did not disappoint. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see as many exhibition stands as I had wanted as it is a very large exhibition with thousands of stands.
I have no doubt that there were many other innovative packaging designs on display that I missed but the ones I have mentioned are just some that I wanted to share with you.
If you are planning to attend the next edition of Anuga FoodTec on the 23rd to 26th of February 2027 I would recommend that you allow at least two days to walk around the show. I also look forward to returning to Anuga FoodTec in 2027 to see even more advancements in sustainable packaging and recycle ready packs. Imagine what we will see in three years!