Today, biscuits, chocolates and pralines need to be packaged sustainably. Recyclability and optimum protection are at the top of the list of requirements for alternative materials. This makes it all the more important that the packaging systems used have the necessary flexibility and process capability. ProSweets Cologne, which will take place at the Cologne Exhibition Centre from 28 to 31 January 2024 as part of Sweet Week together with ISM, will show how this can be achieved.
The current trend in packaging development cannot be overlooked at ProSweets Cologne: Everywhere there, where plastic can be dispensed with in packaging, the material is replaced by cardboard or paper. Many examples of this can be found during Sweet Week at the Cologne Exhibition Centre, especially in the halls of the ISM, which is taking place at the same time. Increasing recyclability and reducing packaging weight are important aspects that are right at the top of the confectionery industry's agenda.
„We very much welcome the increased sustainability awareness among consumers,“ confirms This awareness is leading to an increased interest in environmentally friendly packaging. However, it is important that well-founded decisions are made when choosing materials. We often see that well-intentioned initiatives lead to hasty solutions without fully considering their functional limitations and actual environmental footprint. In our work, we strive to develop holistic solutions that are both functional and sustainable. Our aim is to improve the life cycle assessment of bio-based plastics, for example by utilising plant-based waste materials, and thus to be able to offer truly more sustainable packaging alternatives.“
Prof Dr Markus Schmid, Sustainable Packing Institute (SPI) at the Albstadt-Sigmaringen University of Applied Sciences
The latest successes within the current and completed projects will be presented interactively at ProSweets Cologne at the Special Show Sustainable Packaging in Hall 10.1.
Peter Désilets, Managing Director of Pacoon Sustainability Concepts GmbH, also knows which materials and technical innovations are driving the transformation process. Whether it's gum and jelly products, toffee, caramel or sweets: „While consumers are delighted with the enormous variety at the point of sale, confectionery and snack manufacturers must the right combination of packaging material and packaging technology for your products find. This requires materials that offer the best possible machinability right from the start,“ says the expert. Especially in the conception phase of a new machine, there is plenty of scope for designing the packaging with sustainability in mind.
The Trend towards paper-based packaging and monomaterials made of plastic is clearly noticeable among the mechanical engineering companies exhibiting at the Cologne exhibition centre. They are supporting producers in the switch to recyclable alternatives with innovative technologies that More economical cutting, better material utilisation and optimised formats make this possible. Solutions such as those on show at ProSweets Cologne guarantee perfectly sealed packaging, even with very thin polypropylene or polyethylene films. Stand-up pouches for snacks can thus be recycled as a genuine „single-material solution“. With the Box motion unit in the flowpacker Schubert, for example, offers its customers more flexibility when cross-sealing. The ultrasonic process makes it possible to seal more hermetically overall, as the seam is of a consistently high quality across the entire width. Thick films that require longer sealing times can be processed without any problems, as can recyclable tubular bags made from monofilms or paper-based films.
Sustainable materials can now also be processed in many other systems - with full format flexibility. The Kliklok ACE from Syntegon is a good example of this. The carton erector folds glue-free paper trays and thus makes it possible to replace conventional plastic trays with paper-based materials. Sustainable packaging will also be realised on the FPC5 from Theegarten Pactec. The Modular packaging machine for bar and tablet products in tubular bags has been further developed so that it can process paper-based packaging materials: On the one hand using the standard cold sealing process, and on the other hand using the far more complex heat-sealing process. The system achieves an output of 90 metres per minute for paper-based packaging materials.
And the LTM-DUO fold wrapping machine from Loesch is also both flexible in the choice of format and packaging material: From smaller bars to 300 gram bars, from organic film, mono and composite material to aluminium foil, everything can be processed without any problems. The outer wrap of the chocolate bar can be designed as a paper label from a stack or roll or as a cardboard label. These examples show how the machine manufacturers combine sustainability and process integration.
The trend reversal towards sustainable packaging solutions is therefore in full swing. Professor Dr Sascha Peters, founder of the Haute Innovation agency, will address scenarios for the markets of the future in his presentation „Biocircular packaging for the confectionery industry“ at ProSweets Cologne. The solutions will also be presented as part of the Special Show Sustainable Packaging. The The potential of renewable alternatives to plastics is far from exhausted, he explains. Packaging made from renewable raw materials and organic waste is in demand. Grass paper, for example, is becoming an increasingly important packaging material as a resource-saving alternative to conventional paper made from virgin fibres. Depending on its use, it can replace up to 50 per cent of the wood fibre content. „You can gain an innovative edge with alternative packaging“, says Peters.
Source: ProSweets Cologne
