flowpack

About flowpack

https://www.flowpack.it

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FLOW WRAP PACKAGING

A type of packaging consisting of a “pillow-shaped pouch made from a flexible film welded so as to obtain a tube that is subsequently closed at both ends, again with a seal, and then cut.” The flow wrap packaging is mainly used in the food industry (but not only) and is intended to prevent alterations to the product (chemical, organoleptic, etc.) by protecting it through the appropriate measures in terms of machines and materials that compose it, so as to increase the shelf life of the products contained.

Source:

Badalucco, L. “Contain, protect, communicate. Packaging and design“. In Lerma, B., Dal Palù, D. (Edited by) “Flowpack: the most with the least. High protection, low impact” (2022), ReteAmbiente Srl, Milan, Italy. (ENG) ISBN 978-88-6627-358-5, pp. 45-46.

SUBSTITUTIONS

flowpack Focus_en

Replacing rigid packaging with flexible packaging, resulting in extreme packaging weight reduction

Replacing rigid packaging with flexible packaging allows for a reduction in packaging weight and less plastic usage, in order to optimize energy consumption, space during production, storage and transport. The film is made of highly transparent and fully recyclable polypropylene (PP) and is a flexible alternative to thermoformed trays or containers for food use, saving up to 70% of virgin plastic.

ABOUT: MonoFlow(Re)

NEW MATERIALS FROM NEW RESOURCES

flowpack Focus_en

Use of biopolymers obtained, for example, from food waste in flexible packaging

New materials from new resources: a bioplastic has been developed using the main protein from milk by-products, casein, which is renewable, biodegradable, edible and compostable. Dissolving it in water does not lead to any toxicity. It finds major applications in the packaging of single-dose products (solid/powder/tablets/liquids) and for hospital laundry bags.

ABOUT: Lactips

The idea of using seaweed in the composition of packaging material originated in Indonesia, the world’s second largest contributor to the problem of plastic waste in the oceans, with the added interest of helping the local economy, in particular Indonesian seaweed farmers. The outer layer is smooth, just like plastic, but the inside is rough; its characteristic is that it can totally dissolve in the environment or be eaten with the product!

ABOUT: Evoware

This experiment aims to explore the possibilities of using microbial cellulose, produced through the fermentation (culture) of bacteria and yeasts with fruit and vegetable waste in the field of packaging and disposable products. The end product is a translucent sheet of material, the result of a ‘closed-loop’ system through a zero-emission process.

ABOUT: From Peel to Peel

This flexible film is formulated from chitin that has been extracted from the shells of crustaceans (mainly langoustines caught in Scottish fisheries) resulting from processing. It has antimicrobial properties, with the ability to extend the shelf life of fresh fish by up to 40%. This solution not only provides a ready-to-use circular economy by giving value to what would have been a waste material and at the same time eliminating single-use plastic from the food system, but also helps to protect food for sale and reduce waste sent to landfill.

ABOUT: Cuan Save

CIRCULAR MATERIALS FROM RECYCLING

flowpack Focus_en

Use of recycled materials from post-consumer waste for the production of flexible packaging

The project involved the collaboration of multiple partners from the flexible packaging production chain to create a value chain of plastic waste from food-grade flexible packaging, within the same supply chain, to make a food-grade flowpack for Kit Kat with 30% post-consumer recycled content.

ABOUT: Project Kitkat Australia

PLASTIC FREE

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Material substitution to reduce the amount of plastics used in the flexible (and non-flexible) packaging sector

Sylvicta is a pure cellulose translucent paper made solely from renewable raw materials and without the addition of additives, favouring characteristics such as mono-materiality, recyclability, compostability (both industrial and domestic) and biodegradability. Thanks to the application of heat-sealable films, it can be used for envelopes, pouches, flowpacks, stand-up pouches and labels.

ABOUT: Sylvicta

Paper-based solution for 100% recyclable freshness-saving packs and pouches. The addition of the shiny copper outer coating, applied by a sublimation and spraying process, not only increases shelf life, but also enables the total elimination of bacteria settling on the film, meeting a growing market demand for safety.

ABOUT: Bustarame

EDUCATION

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Designing end-user actions for proper recycling of packaging material

The active involvement of the end-user is crucial for the effective post-consumer disposal of packaging. Sbucciapack raises awareness and encourages the end user to correctly separate packaging: it reduces the amount of plastic film used, laminating it with biodegradable water-based glues to an outer paper layer, thus making the two layers easy to separate.

ABOUT: Sbucciapack

CELLOGRAFICA GEROSA

flowpack Testimonianze_en

Cellografica Gerosa Spa founded in 1935 in Inverigo (CO, Italy) is today an international leader in flexible packaging and labeling. For over 85 years, it has been investing heavily in cutting-edge technology, designing and developing sustainable and innovative solutions for a wide range of applications.

Fabrizio Gerosa

Sales Manager

Web site: www.gerosagroup.com

Cellografica Gerosa is now in its third generation, aware that it has behind it an important history to share and experience to draw on to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.

The future is mono-material, it is what can generate the most value.

“Only the Italians want paper, without considering the negative values of the carbon footprint… In the other states, the mono-material is generally plastic, the needs arise at the moment of the streaming of the collection that generates more value. Each state has developed more the collection of a particular material, e.g. Germany only for polypropylene while England and France only for polyethylene, downstream in Italy the consumer prefers to touch a paper-based film and our disposal plants are more adept at handling the collection of paper. The real problem remains collection…“

GOGLIO SPA

flowpack Testimonianze_en

The heart and hallmark of Goglio Spa is the system (machines-materials): founded in 1850, it deals with complete packaging solutions through the combination of high barrier flexible laminates, degassing valves, packaging machines, technical assistance and service.

FRANCO GOGLIO

President and CEO

Web site: www.goglio.it

“In Italy, the soft pack concept has taken little hold in some sectors, due to a discourse of consumer perception. The link with traditional packs is strong. Flexible packaging, our system and our machines today are better suited to the catering sector, not only for a discourse of perception but also for the advantage of having a flexible pack, when you have to pack 5/10 kg of product there is a saving in terms of space, weight, transport, handling, safety… (with tin cans you can cut yourself) If thinking about fast food, these aspects becomes important.”

THERMOSAC Spa

flowpack Testimonianze_en

Thermosac Spa, founded in 1956 in Cassino (FR, Italy), was involved in the production of flexible laminates and a wide range of industrial packaging for food, pharmaceuticals, tobacco and military products. It was one of the few converting companies located south of Rome in those years.

LUDOVICO RANGONI MACHIAVELLI

Past Commercial Director and Partner

“An example of a classic laminate was the one adopted for Plasmon biscuits, which needed excellent preservation and protection. For which a multiple laminate of thin aluminum, polyethylene, and paper was produced. The packets obtained were subjected to a strict heat-sealing resistance test, with samples being introduced into the vacuum machine, in which the packet had to not ‘burst’ and resist for a given number of seconds.”

DECOM Srl

flowpack Testimonianze_en

Maurizio De Costanzo, a chemical engineer, has worked for over 40 years in the plastics industry and in the production of flexible packaging films (PE, PP, PET, PA), holding top management positions in companies such as Mobil, Montedison, Exxonmobil, Shell, Snia. Currently a member of the General Council of Federchimica and of the Board of Directors of Plastics Europe Italia, through his company DECOM he offers strategic consultancy in the field of plastics.

MAURIZIO DE COSTANZO

Consultant

Web site: www.decomsrl.it

“Converting from cellophane to polypropylene has been a long and arduous task, in the various sectors, from labels, films, adhesive tapes, etc. Nowadays, especially with machines, it is a material that is leading the way. One of the world’s strongest machine manufacturers, Brückner, started producing the machines for Moplefan’s plant in Terni. It started with one-meter machines, which ran at 60 meters per minute, today the machines are 10 meters long and run at 600 meters per minute, just to give an order of magnitude; there has been a whole evolutionary process that has brought propylene into vogue to the point where it continues to be one of the materials that between cost and performance even today is unrivaled.”