Package of the Month
SNICKERS® Launches New Low GI Dark Chocolate Cereal Bar in Mono Material Packaging
Mars has invested a lot of effort in reimagining and redesigning its packaging, making it recyclable, reusable, and compostable to prevent it from becoming waste.
In December 2023, Mars China announced another significant step towards sustainable packaging with the launch of its SNICKERS® bar featuring dark chocolate cereal. This innovative new product not only offers a low-sugar and low-glycemic index (GI) option but also features individual packaging made from a mono PP material, adhering to the concept of "Designed For Recycling", which can be easily recycled in designated channels. The SNICKERS® low GI dark chocolate cereal bar is now available in selected outlets, providing consumers with a lightweight and delicious product, while
In addition, the outer packaging box of SNICKERS® uses paper material certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), reducing the reliance on plastic, and supporting sustainable forest management. The packaging design not only upholds Mars' commitment to driving sustainable packaging iteration but also embodies the company's vision of creating a sustainable tomorrow where no packaging becomes waste.
Addressing the current challenges in the plastic flexible packaging collection and recycling, Mars China has partnered with the Green Recycled Plastic Supply Chain Joint Working Group (GRPG), China Plastic Recycling Association of China National Resources Recycling Association (CRPA), P&G, PepsiCo, and Dow to initiate the "Flexible Plastics Reborn" project. This joint effort aims to unite forces throughout the industry and explore a sustainable flexible plastic packaging collection and recycling closed-loop system in China, addressing design, collection, and recycling challenges. The mono-material flexible packaging of the new SNICKERS® dark chocolate cereal bar is specifically designed by the recycling requirements of the "Flexible Plastics Reborn" project.
To learn more about Mars, please visit mars.com.
Courtesy of Mars China
Courtesy of Mars China
New SÜDPACK Flexible Film Takes Fish Packaging to the Next Level
With its Multifol NT packaging film, SÜDPACK broke new ground in material efficiency many years ago. Now the film manufacturer has taken the next logical step by further developing its flexible films for thermoforming applications. The new Multifol Extreme is the perfect combination of maximum functionality and minimum added weight.
Due to its outstanding sealing performance and high puncture resistance, the innovative flexible film is ideal for packaging fatty, protein-rich or sharp-edged products such as fresh or frozen fish, e.g. salmon fillets, white fish and herring portions.
Even if the sealing surfaces are contaminated, the excellent sealing performance of Multifol Extreme provides top production reliability and high package quality with a very low degree of leakage. Furthermore, the optimized high-performance film weighs approximately 20% less than its predecessor — the already very material-efficient Multifol NT — and around 30% less than conventional PA/PE structures in common use on the market.
In concrete figures, this means that the merely 150 µm Multifol Extreme film can replace conventional thermoforming films with a thickness of 200 µm — without compromising on product protection. Producers can achieve further material savings by combining a Multifol Extreme base film with a lidding film from the same product family.
To learn more about SÜDPACK, please visit suedpack.com.
Courtesy of SÜDPACK
Plastrela Creates Recyclable Mono-Material PE Pet Food Standup Pouch
Plastrela, a leading converter based in Brazil, wanted to create a snack size pet food standup pouch (SUP) for its customer, brand owner Adimax, that can be easier to recycle than traditional SUP structures. The challenge was to replace a conventional multi-layer structure consisting of a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate and a polyethylene (PE) sealant with a new mono-material PE//PE solution that could be easier to recycle.
While striving for a solution that can improve recycling potential, the quality and freshness of the pet food snacks needed to be maintained. Plus, excellent printability of the SUP for high visibility on the shelves of retail outlets for brand exposure was also very important.
Plastrela collaborated with ExxonMobil’s PE business, which is acknowledged as a leader in driving packaging advances by working with the value chain to develop solutions that can offer sustainability benefits.
The solution’s substrate and sealant films are processed using 5-layer Windmöller & Höschler blown extrusion equipment, before the substrate web is printed. The substrate web is laminated to the sealant web and then formatted into an SUP.
Replacing the conventional PET substrate and PE sealant structure with an innovative PE//PE solution can improve the potential recyclability of the SUP, while performance criteria like package integrity and printability for brand promotion opportunities are maintained.
The films are all produced to the right dimensions at Plastrela, so there was no reliance on third-party films that may not be the right size. As a result, production time and costs can also potentially be reduced.
To learn more about Plastrela, please visit plastrela.com.