Propak Industries, Mitolo Family Farms and REV Packaging Solutions have launched a new onion bag format that removes the metal clip used in standard pre-pack netting.

The pack was developed over three years and went through several rounds of testing.

It is produced on the Puma Packaging Machine and uses a thermosealed p-pack format that aims to keep the practical features of existing onion net packs while making the packaging easier to recover for recycling.

The structure is made in a single material format.

The net, handle and tag are all produced from the same soft plastic material, replacing the conventional copper clip and reducing the number of material types in the pack.

The bag is designed for soft plastic recycling streams, with the aim of making disposal more straightforward for consumers and helping growers and retailers meet sustainability goals.

As per estimates, the change could cut emissions by 100 tonnes of CO₂-e a year.

According to Propak Industries' technical sales manager Isaac Sandercock, the work centred on simplifying the onion pack structure to improve recyclability and reduce the use of multiple packaging materials.

Mitolo Family Farms' chief commercial officer John Tselekidis said the format is the fourth generation of the technology after a lengthy process of testing and adjustment.

The Puma system was developed by REV Packaging Solutions in Italy and adapted for local operating conditions.

It allows thermosealed p-packs to be made without the metal clip while preserving the main functions of traditional onion net packaging.