In order to meet the demand from the market for alternative packaging materials, the two companies LEIPA Georg Leinfelder GmbH and Koehler Paper Group have developed in conjunction with MULTIVAC a cardboard composite, which can be used for packing fresh food such as meat for example.
This innovative solution based on paper fibre packaging material will be presented at IFFA on the MULTIVAC stand and run on a compact thermoforming packaging machine. The packs are designed in such a way, that the end user is able to separate the cardboard backing from the plastic barrier layer and then put it into the paper recycling.
Multilayer composite for skin packs: LEIPAflat
When developing this material, the challenge was to produce a cardboard composite with high barrier properties and a suitable sealing medium, which has the stiffness of a flat pre-cut card sheet but is also capable of being wound onto a roll, so that it can be run on a thermoforming packaging machine. The first results show that the LEIPAflat multilayer composite is excellent at meeting all the requirements. This material can be used on a thermoforming packaging machine to produce skin packs, which not only package the product securely but also present it attractively to the consumer. As a strategic development partner in the board sector, Koehler provides LEIPA with the material for manufacturing LEIPAflat.
“LEIPAflat is made of up to 90 percent renewable raw materials. Compared to the conventional packs used for these products, the features of this packaging material are its appearance and feel of a paper pack, and this contributes significantly to product differentiation in the chill cabinet,” explains Matthias Haux, Commercial Head of Flexible Packaging at LEIPA. “This solution meets the high aspirations and demands of consumers, who are conscious of both quality and the environment. The cardboard offers not just the required stiffness, but it can also be run particularly well on thermoforming packaging machines thanks to its ease of winding on rolls. This solution can generally also be used on existing machines and dies. If requested, we are always willing to give customers advice on site about the optimum settings for their equipment.”
Danny Köppl, Product Manager for Films & Consumables at MULTIVAC, adds: “This sustainable packaging solution, which was launched at FachPack 2018 and marketed under the MULTIVAC PaperBoard range, has already received a very positive reception from professionals in the trade. Now we are receiving a large number of enquiries from the market, particularly against the background of the EU Plastics Strategy, and these are coming not only from Germany and Western Europe but also from many other regions such as Eastern Europe, North America and Oceania. We are currently carrying out a large number of sample productions for a wide range of customers.”
“We see great potential for this project, which has begun very successfully, and we are convinced that we can address the future of packaging in conjunction with our highly qualified partners, who embody the same collaborative ideas as we do,” says Dr. Markus Wildberger, Corporate Director of Technology at Koehler. “As part of our own ideas on sustainability, this project supports our aims of replacing plastics in packaging with paper-based materials, where it is sensible and practical to do so. This means that a product made from renewable raw materials is used, one for which closed-loop recycling has already been developed. We see in this and other collaborative projects the opportunity to develop and market further innovative solutions in the sector of flexible and rigid board packaging.” Dr. Wildberger also emphasizes that this could involve developments in the non-food as well as food sector.
“Based on today's knowledge of the planned harmonisation of the EU regulations on plastic disposal, we assume that LEIPAflat will lead to significant cost benefits in the context of the packaging fee for companies,” says Matthias Haux from LEIPA. “And last but not least, the environment as well as consumers also benefit from this solution.”
MULTIVAC PaperBoard
The MULTIVAC PaperBoard portfolio comprises a wide range of solutions for producing MAP and vacuum skin packs from paper fibre-based materials. In conjunction with leading manufacturers, MULTIVAC has developed suitable packaging materials, which can be run on standard machines. By using different functional layers, it is possible to produce packs from paper fibre-based materials, which also meet the barrier requirements of the most sensitive products. The packs can be designed in such a way, that the end user is able to separate the cardboard backing from the plastic barrier layer and then put it into the paper recycling.
