SIG has taken a further step towards sustainable packaging with the introduction of the world's first aseptic 1-litre carton pack with complete barrier protection and no aluminium layer. The material will initially be used for Aldi grape juice under the Rio d'oro brand.
With the new SIG Terra Alu-free + Full barrier packaging material, the company is presenting for the first time an aseptic 1-litre carton pack that does not require any aluminium layer at all, but still offers a high level of protection. the same barrier protection and product shelf life as conventional carton packs offers. Following successes in the small format sector, the material is now also being used for multi-serve packaging. The first of these is the grape juice available in Germany from Aldi under its own Rio d'oro brand, produced by the Italian company Quargentan. The juice is filled there at full capacity on an existing SIG Midi 12 Aseptic filling machine. The new packaging is designed to reduce the carbon footprint by 29 per cent compared to standard packaging.
Plug-and-play for the switch to aluminium-free packaging
SIG emphasises that the new solution can easily be used on existing filling machines - without any loss of performance: Up to 24,000 small-format or 15,000 multiserve packs per hour are still possible. Thanks to only minor adjustments to the technology, SIG thus offers a plug-and-play option for brands that want to quickly switch to more sustainable packaging. Customers also retain the flexibility to switch between conventional and aluminium-free material.
Sustainability as a strategic goal
José Matthijsse, President & General Manager Europe at SIG, explains: „Our goal is to increase the proportion of paper in our carton packs to at least 90 per cent by 2030 - including the closure.“ The material that has now been introduced already consists of over 80 per cent paper and uses only two raw materials instead of three. This should not only simplify the recycling process, but also reduce CO₂ emissions in the long term.
Reduction to two materials as a recycling advantage
Instead of an aluminium layer an ultra-thin polymer barrier now protects against light, oxygen and moisture. In combination with forest-based polymers, the carbon footprint can be reduced by up to 61 per cent, according to SIG. The new solution is therefore considered an important step towards a regenerative packaging system.
SIG introduced its first aluminium-free solution for dairy products back in 2010 and has since sold over four billion such packs. With the expansion of the Terra portfolio, the company wants to the transformation towards more environmentally friendly food packaging drive forward.
Source: SIG
