Recycled tube with food-safe cap made from marine plastic

At the PCD trade fair in Paris, Neopac presented a recycled tube with a cap made of 100 per cent marine plastic. The tube shoulder and tube tube are made from 75 per cent recycled material.

23 January 2019

The body and shoulder of the Neoplac tube are made of recycled material, the cap is made of 100 per cent marine plastic

The body of the new tube from the EcoDesign product range consists of 50 per cent recycled consumer products such as milk bottles from closed collection loops. The cap contains 100 per cent marine plastic. (Image: Neopac)

Neopac presents the first tube with a cap made entirely from „ocean plastic“. The tube tube and tube shoulder are also made from 75 per cent recycled material. Neopac uses solvent-free inks and low-solvent, UV-cured varnishes to print the tubes.

The „EcoDesign“tube was one of the main attractions on the Neopac stand at the „Perfume, Cosmetics & Design“ trade fair (PCD) in Paris. Plastic waste from the sea is used as the raw material for the propylene (PP) in the caps. The polyethylene (PE) used for the rest of the tube packaging consists of 50 per cent Western European consumer goods recyclate and 25 per cent post-industrial plastic waste.

The EcoDesign product range offers Neopac We also offer other tubes made from special recycled materials. On the one hand Sugar cane used as a raw material, and „PICEA“. This material consists of a 95 per cent recyclable material in which ten per cent of the material is Spruce wood fibres from sawmill waste.

In order to further promote the development of sustainable flexible packaging, Neopac has joined the European business initiative CEFLEX connected.

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Avoid waste and conserve raw materials

Prior to the PCD in Paris, Neopac Marketing Manager Cornelia Schmid the packaging journal Details of the EcoDesign product range.

Neopac Marketing Manager Cornelia Schmid (Image: Neopac)

pj: What are the special advantages of the EcoDesign product range?

Cornelia Schmid: We pursue the goal of a circular economy and waste minimisation. Thinner tube walls reduce the amount of material required. Bioplastics reduce the CO₂-footprint. By using recycled materials more effectively, we conserve increasingly scarce raw materials and strengthen the circular economy. By using authorised materials, we ensure product safety and prevent valuable raw materials from ending up unused in the waste stream. We are also working on recycling-friendly, innovative Barrier tubes and are involved in CEFLEX to improve the recycling of flexible packaging.

pj: How was the plastic used for the closures obtained from marine litter?

Cornelia Schmid: The Closure material comes from collection nets of the maritime industry.

pj: Are there differences in the possible applications of tubes made from recycled and non-recycled material?

Cornelia Schmid: Yes, the recycled material of the tubes is only food-safe and not for use in the Pharmaceutical sector suitable. In addition, we can only produce the closures from marine plastic in dark colours, as the recycled material also tends to be dark in colour.

pj: Can your customers use the tubes in pharmaceutical or medical production environments?

Cornelia Schmid: If you require food-safe packaging for certain Creams and Ointments then yes. These tubes are not suitable for packaging pharmaceutical or medical products.

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