The etma Award 2020 in the category Sustainability went to two fully recyclable tubes from happybrush®, the laminate used for which was developed by Essel Propack Ltd (EPL). And it is a result of the company's ‚Go Green‘ initiative.
The award-winning products SuperCoco and SuperGreen have a diameter of 35 mm. They are among the first commercial laminate tubes to be made from post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics. The production of these tubes is challenging. PCR tubes must fulfil all the necessary barrier properties over their entire life cycle and return to their original shape after each use.
„We are delighted about the award for our tubes. This is a clear confirmation of Essel's long-term strategy. We have been working intensively on the environmental properties of our tubes for several years. We are therefore particularly proud that our product is at the top of the winners“ podium this year, especially in the area of sustainability." Alan Conner, Managing Director of Essel Propack Ltd. Europe
Focus on sustainability at Essel
Classically extruded tubes with PCR usually have a proportion of 50 % PCR. This means that only half of the new plastic resources are required for production. However, due to the thinner wall thickness, incorporating PCR into laminates is problematic.
Essel has taken a new approach with the happybrush® tube. The company has opted for a PCR share of ‚only‘ 30 per cent was chosen. At first glance, this is smaller and therefore appears less sustainable. Nevertheless, this variant is much more resource-efficient, as it enables a significantly thinner wall thickness. This alone saves around 30 per cent in weight compared to a classic PE tube. For the final product, this even means a Total resource savings of around 60 per cent.
Also with the Development of the artwork the topic of sustainability was taken into account. This is based on the existing tubes from the toothpaste range. A flexo/screen printing combination with three colours and a matt varnish was chosen here. The product names SuperCoco and SuperGreen as well as the round arches at the top of the tube were emphasised with a screen-printed relief varnish.
In the interests of sustainability, no further finishing options were used. This kept the number of colours used to a minimum. At the same time, the tube artwork did not have to do without a modern and fresh look.
[infotext icon]This is the fourth time that Essel has been among the finalists for this award. The company already received the Tube of the Year award in the years 2012 to 2014. At that time, the company won the award three years in a row in the category Laminate tube for themselves[/infotext].Source: Essel Propack Europe
