MULTIVAC and DS Smith have joined forces to design and produce ECO Bowl – a modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) solution based on corrugated cardboard that can reportedly guarantee equal shelf life when compared with conventional MAP products.
The companies say that they have formed a strategic partnership to ensure maximum scalability of the ECO Bowl solution to customers in the food production and retail industries across Europe.
In terms of its structure, DS Smith describes ECO Bowl as a "fully recyclable corrugated cardboard tray covered with a plastic skin film and lid film that reduces plastic by up to 85% versus a traditional tray." The company claims that the skin and lid film can be easily removed for disposal, leaving the corrugated tray for recycling.
The product has been designed to run on MULTIVAC thermoforming packaging machines and tray sealers.
Amidori, a Germany-based producer of plant-based meat alternatives, has already tested the product on the market, having fully implemented the solution at the end of 2019.
Marc Chiron, sales, marketing, and innovation director of packaging at DS Smith, commented: “We’re thrilled to see the success Amidori is having with ECO Bowl and this is a great example of the benefits that customers can reap when they choose to implement this new generation of packaging innovations into their supply chains.
“The innovation behind ECO Bowl demonstrates the strides DS Smith is taking to encourage greater sustainability within the retail landscape, and through our partnership with MULTIVAC, we are committed to driving the circular economy at greater scale.”
Bernd Lasslop, vice president of partner products and consumables at MULTIVAC added: “We are constantly working on innovative solutions to reduce the number of packaging materials and on packaging concepts that meet the current requirements in terms of resource efficiency and recyclability. ECO Bowl is yet another example of these efforts.”
