extracts from a feature in ‘Meat Trades Journal’

– March 20 2009 

‘Meat companies have long used a variety of packaging materials, but the drive to cut carbon footprints is unifying the industry. Paul Gander tracks down the latest options. 

The move to greater use of PET, and in particular r-PET, has brought with it problems of its own kind. Production of food-grade post consumer recyclate (PCR) has increased massively over the past year or two, but is barely keeping pace with demand in terms of both quality and quantity.

 WRAP has acted as a catalyst in exploring potential collection and reprocessing systems as well as demand, for mixed plastics, with food grade r-PP as a prime target, Sharp Interpack has done what it calls ‘the next best thing’ and combined virgin PP with manufacturing waste and recycled post consumer HDPE in varying proportions.

This would theoretically allow retailers to retain all the benefits of PP whilst having some sort of PCR content to talk about. Sharp Interpack makes the point that, at least, it is able to recycle mixed r-PET and polyolefins to make a composite food-grade recyclate, used for less demanding applications such as biscuit trays. 

Bob Hayes is Sharpak’s Bridgwater Sales Director for meat packaging:“There hasn’t been any let up in the pressure to reduce weights and minimise packaging” he reports. But this pressure, whether driven by consumers or retailers, does not always take into account the processing and supply chain rigours that those packs have to go through.

Considerable effort goes into ensuring that lighter trays are still fit-for-purpose, says Frank Coleman, Site Director at Bridgwater “A lot of design goes into the ribbing to strengthen the trays, and we will run trials on everything from de-nesting to top sealing,” he explains.’  

Read the full article in ‘Meat Trades Journal’ March 20th