The Spanish company, SP Group has launched the first recyclable, retortable, high-barrier solution for the vacuum-packed and FMCG market.
The company specialises in the manufacture of flexible, rigid thermoformable films for vacuum packing, and has just launched the first high-barrier recyclable, retortable solution for vacuum packing. This consists of a top film and a base web for vacuum packing. It has been specially designed with the FMCG market in mind. This solution is part of the company’s ECO range, which comprises all SP Group’s recyclable, monomaterial packaging solutions.
This special solution has been developed in response to the guidelines set by the European Union as part of the Horizon 2030/2050 sustainability programme. This sets out the requirement for all plastic packaging to be made recyclable, reusable or compostable. The combination of the PP HB ECOTOP top film with the RST B ECO thermoformable base web is a fully recyclable packaging solution because more than 90% of it is polypropylene. The remaining materials do not interfere in the recycling process. This solution replaces conventional PA/PP and PA/PP EVOH coextrusions (which are difficult to recycle), whilst having very similar features and properties to multi-material structures – it also has good puncture-resistance and mechanical performance.
The PP HB ECOTOP top film is also compatible with rigid polypropylene thermoformable trays, thus providing a recyclable, monomaterial solution that is perfect for products that require MAP, rather than vacuum packing. This packaging solution was designed with the food sector in mind, in particular for products that require vacuum packing, such as prepared vegetables (corn-on the-cob, beetroot, etc.) and pre-prepared dishes. The SP Group’s PP HB ECOTOP is the ideal top film for pre-prepared food products requiring hot-fill processes, such as rice pots, jams, baby food, etc. Both materials are perfect for products being exported to Germany, where polypropylene is the main recycling stream.
A material’s ability to withstand heat treatments, such as retort processing, is essential for prolonging the shelf life of food products, preserving all its properties, reducing food waste, and vastly improving environmental sustainability. With sustainability being the buzzword on everyone’s lips today, there is great demand for fully recyclable structures that lengthen shelf life to ensure that products can be stored longer.
The SP Group is committed to delivering sustainability through innovation and to producing versatile, customised and ever more sustainable packaging. As a pioneering company in terms of sustainability, it seeks to create new cutting-edge materials that comply with the guidelines set out by the European Commission. Their primary objective is to provide their clients with real solutions that help them meet those guidelines.
If you want to learn more their growing sustainable range, you can visit them on:
Stand 646, HALL 7, FACHPACK 2022.