Treetop's Home Compostable film shows excellent machinability on packing lines
The new home Compostable film from Treetop Biopak shows excellent machinability on automatic packing lines.
Running compostable film on vertical form feel seal (VFFS) machines has been a challenge with compostable films. Compostable materials are designed to react to heat and often become sticky and get tangled in the machine.
But automatic packing is the main form of retail packing for fruit and veg in the market and was a priority for us to overcome. Hence our new Home Compostable film was designed to resolve the issues while maintaining home compostability.
The film achieves an excellent seal at a slightly lower temperature than plastic.
It is very durable and puncture-resistant.
Compostable films have natural permeability, making them a perfect solution for fresh produce, which needs good air transfer. Perforations can be added when extra airflow is needed (like in potatoes and other veg).
In the video above, the compostable film was used to pack potatoes. The changeover was seamless and operators needed very little to get the film to work. Speed and quality were maintained with no issues.
The machine trial was followed by a shelf life trial with positive results, matching or exceeding existing plastic packaging. The potatoes seem to like the film...
The customer is looking for an eco-friendly alternative to the conventional plastic potato pack. A compostable film offers a sustainable packaging option that customers appreciate and has strong traction.
While high clarity is difficult to achieve with compostable films, the consumer can see the product well, particularly when it is in contact with the film. Clarity needs to be balanced against sustainability which is very important to consumers and plays an important part in their decision-making in front of the shelves. The different look of the pack could also differentiate the pack and signal to the customer it is different and compostable.
Recent research by McKinsey Group found that packaging sustainability is very high on consumers' priority and that consumers regard compostable packaging as the most sustainable option.
The new film would be great for any VFFS machine where a green alternative to plastic is needed and there is no need for high barrier properties.
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