Berry Global (Berry) and VOID Technologies have created a high-performance polyethylene (PE) film for pet food packaging, aiming to deliver a solution with superior toughness and puncture resistance, suitable for store drop-off recycling and helping to eliminate problematic non-recyclable materials.
The partnership utilizes VOID’s patented VO+ technology, its 1300 Series PE Voiding Agents and Berry Global’s proprietary film formulation and MDO process knowledge. According to Berry, this combination creates cavitated micro-scale air pockets in the film, reducing plastic density and boosting opacity.
It also seeks to allow manufacturers to produce high-performance films with less plastic, reducing CO2 emissions and waste while maintaining compliance with direct food contact standards in North America and Europe.
Reportedly, the VO+ cavitated film structure significantly improves toughness for ‘high-abuse, demanding applications’ in flexible packaging. VO+ is said to enable plastic reduction, density reduction, and high opacity without pigments, creating higher-yield PE-based films to provide more sustainable technical solutions for mono-material recycle-ready packaging.
Caleb Triplett, Berry’s director of product management for Flexible Packaging, says: “Collaborations, like the one with VOID, enable Berry to meet the growing demand for high-performance and sustainable film solutions with robust technologies. Pet food applications present unique challenges due to demanding physical and organoleptic requirements, and this highlights the individual capabilities of both Berry and VOID, but more importantly, the power of our combined expertise.”
In related news, Siegwerk applied its CIRKIT functional coatings to a mono-PE bag developed with Windmöller & Hölscher and B&B in April, aiming for a high-barrier, fully recyclable packaging solution for dry pet food. The bag is said to offer full recyclability and the same packaging performance as complex multi-material alternatives.
More recently, a study by Amcor found that 69% of pet owners are incentivized to buy pet food if its packaging is designed for sustainability, with 55% influenced by on-pack recyclability claims. Out of 1,693 consumers interviewed in the UK, France, Germany and Italy, 76% of respondents noted sustainability as a consideration when purchasing.
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