Co-op's 2020 recycling ambitions bolstered by Coveris

Packaging Solutions GreenPrint

Supporting the Co-op's recent announcement that it plans to have 80% of its own brand packaging recyclable by 2020, Coveris has developed an innovative new multi-layer film with integral sealing capabilities that enables current polythene lined packaging trays to be more easily recycled.

The development comes after the news that two-thirds of all plastic packaging used for consumer products in the UK is being sent to landfill or incineration with only one third being recycled, according to figures from the Co-op. Only half a million of the 1.5 million tonnes of recyclable plastic waste created every year is being reused as intended.

As a strategic packaging partner to the Co-op, Coveris has been working closely with the retailer and its manufacturers to deliver more recyclable solutions using new materials and manufacturing technologies.

Developed at Coveris Winsford, technical engineers have worked to formulate a thin, multi-layer, polyester barrier solution that enables plastic lidding film to be heat sealed direct to the packaging tray through integral capabilities within the material. Traditionally film is sealed to the pre-lined tray using a polythene (PE) bonding layer which currently makes the PET tray more unlikely to be recycled.

Printed and converted at Coveris' Gainsborough site, the finished format offers a sustainable, high quality, high performance solution for tray packed products.

Currently available across standard and ‘Irresistible’ Co-op cooked meat lines, the new packaging has been developed in collaboration with Tulip. Specially formulated using innovative nine layer extrusion technology and converted to form a high performance laminate, the new solution works to deliver the same, if not better, seal integrity, visual clarity, and shelf life benefits as before. The new film also utilises burst peel functionality to offer a more consumer friendly, easy open solution.

Fundamental to driving the project forward from a manufacturer's perspective, Matt Richards, Tulip's group innovation manager, said: ‘We are delighted to have worked alongside Co-op and our packaging supplier Coveris on this project, which is an excellent example of how supply chain collaboration plays a key role in reducing packaging waste. Tulip is committed to developing more recyclable packaging solutions that benefit product quality and shelf life, and this innovative new film meets leading sustainability, functionality and performance demands.’

Iain Ferguson, Co-op's environment manager, added: ‘The Co-op is delighted to see packaging manufacturers such as Coveris

producing new developments that help us to achieve our ambition of making our packaging easy to recycle.’