Expert food packaging supplier STI Group will be presenting its pioneering solutions at Anuga Foodtec in Cologne from 19-22 March 2024. Visitors to its stand, Hall 7/ E078, can expect to see the latest paper-based solutions for food: lightweight, plastic-free and fully recyclable with wastepaper.
STI Group's Circular Innovation team specialises in designing and producing sustainable packaging solutions that move from innovation to commercial reality. The Group will present its latest successes at Anuga Foodtech, demonstrating the value of incorporating water-based barrier coatings, lightweight and resource-saving materials, and of using the Sustainability Scorecard to optimise existing packaging.
Recyclable barrier coatings
Grease and moisture barriers pose sustainability challenges for food sector producers, which traditionally rely on conventional polyethylene (PE) linings to prevent food from leaking into or through its packaging. Plastic linings lower the recycling efficiency of the packaging, and now can often be replaced with modern water-soluble coatings. Among the best practice packaging that STI Group will be showcasing at the fair are cardboard folding boxes for bakery products, transport solutions for smoked fish and corrugated packaging for fruit, vegetables and frozen foods. All this packaging is 100% recyclable in the standard wastepaper stream.
Lightweight materials
New technologies and papers, used with a more ingenious, test-driven approach to design that is based on material technical performance, can be used to create fit-for-purpose packaging that saves resources. Often, these solutions also save cost. The goal is to produce the lightest possible solution that protects its contents effectively, in a pack volume that meets PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation) requirements.
Sustainability scorecard
STI Group's Sustainability Scorecard puts packaging on a sustainable pathway. This user friendly evaluation tool rates existing packaging quickly and transparently against key sustainability parameters, highlighting priority areas for improvement. How this works is explained in more detail in STI Group’s downloadable Circular Innovation whitepaper.
Now & Next
Whether packaging is for direct contact with food-to-go, or for shipping frozen food products, best practice solutions show how the ’Now’ can be sustainably optimised in the ’Next’.
Those interested to see what Next looks like for themselves can find further information about STI Group’s appearance at the trade fair and obtain free visitor tickets on the website: Anuga FoodTec (sti-group.com).