UPM Specialty Papers and SN Maschinenbau are working together to develop a recyclable fibre-based bag. The partners will be presenting a sample at interpack 2023.
As the packaging industry prepares to meet EU recycling targets, the demand for innovative and sustainable solutions is growing rapidly. In a recent joint project with the manufacturer of horizontal pouch packaging machines, the SN Mechanical engineering GmbH, tested the project UPM Speciality Papers a range of heat-sealable barrier papers on the packaging machines from SN Maschinenbau. The aim was to develop a recyclable, renewable, fibre-based pouch that is ideal for dry, frozen and fatty foods. The sample will be on display at Interpack 2023.
Conventional sealed edge bags are usually made of plastic or paper with a separate plastic layer. When a paper-plastic laminate is recycled, for example, the fibres are collected, but the plastic is often burnt. This is where the expertise of UPM Speciality Papers comes into play in the form of UPM Confidio heat-sealable barrier papers.
„Compared to a paper-plastic laminate, UPM Confidio Barrier Paper offers a much higher level of fibre capture and helps customers achieve their recycling targets. According to certified recycling tests, up to 99 per cent of the paper can be recycled as raw material for new fibre-based products.“
Esa Saukkonen, Manager, Packaging Portfolio Development at UPM R&D
The major trend for the entire packaging industry, especially for the major branded companies, in the coming years will be Switching to packaging made from sustainable and recyclable materials.
„We see that our customers are increasingly using paper to make their pouch packaging sustainable and recyclable. It is therefore important for SN Maschinenbau that we can assure them of the processability of new sustainable packaging materials without compromising on quality. In some cases, this means that existing machines have to be adapted to new materials. For this reason, we have worked with UPM Speciality Papers to test the compatibility of their heat-sealable barrier papers on our machines.“
Felix Eberhardi, Team Leader Marketing at SN Maschinenbau GmbH
As the barrier papers have proven to be compatible with existing SN pouch packaging machines, no new investments or technical changes are required. The resulting „Ready to go“ fibre-based solution is ideal for dry, frozen and fatty foods and for all end uses where heat sealing is required.
Visitors to Interpack 2023 can see a live demonstration of the pouches at the Siemens stand (Hall 6, Stand D27). Samples of a Porridge pouch made especially for the trade fair will be available at the UPM Speciality Papers (Hall 8, Stand 29) and SN Maschinenbau (Hall 6, Stand A61) stands.
SourceUPM : UPM
