European sustainable packaging company Coveris has developed an alternative packaging format for British supermarket chain Tesco’s grated cheese.
The packaging company has replaced the hard-to-recycle mixed, triple-ply nylon laminate with a fully recyclable polyethylene (PE) monolaminate structure.
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The MonoFlexBE pouch features a resealable zip designed to improve convenience and maintain packing line efficiencies without compromising any shelf life requirements.
In addition, the pouch format reduces the product’s carbon footprint by decreasing each bag’s plastic weight by 680mg.
Launched in partnership with manufacturer Ornua Foods, the high-clarity solution is fully printed in up to nine colours.
Coveris UK flexibles technical sales manager Mark Robinson said: “To have delivered a first-to-market, fully recyclable monolaminate for cheese is a real win for us and a game changer for the whole industry.
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By GlobalData“Once again, we’ve proven our capabilities in developing new sustainable performance films and if we can do this for as technically complex a product as this, then we look forward to the next challenge.”
The packaging format is currently available in Tesco stores for selected packs of grated cheese.
It is due to be implemented across all the retailer’s own-brand grated cheese lines later this year.
The move is expected to relocate around 411t of plastic into its correct recycling streams and remove 32t of plastic from the supply chain a year.
Ornua Foods UK commercial director Gordon Walsh said: “Sustainability is at the forefront of everything we do at Ornua Foods; it is an area that has huge significance to our retail partners and ultimately our consumers.
“We pride ourselves in working together to achieve our goals and are delighted that this partnership between Coveris and Ornua Foods UK will deliver such a great benefit for our planet.”
In October, Coveris partnered with Northern Ireland-based poultry meat producer Moy Park to introduce a recyclable stand-up pouch for Tesco’s cooked chicken product.
