Ceepackaging

Analysis

A clear view

Disposable packages of plastic continue their success story. They are light, adaptable, available in almost any shape, simple to use and their tailor-made barrier properties preserve the quality of the packed food. Research and development work in the chemical and plastic industry constantly produces materials with new properties. Bioplastics are also capturing their place in the packaging supplies market with high growth rates.

Plastics are one of the most successful packaging materials. With a share of over 40 %, they top the list of the most used packaging supplies in Germany (Industrieverband Kunststoffverpackungen (IK), Bad Homburg).
The some 400 members of the largest European association for plastics produced a total industry turnover of around 11.5 billion EUR in 2006. The use of plastics has therefore more than doubled in the last 30 years. This success is also due to the permanent improvement of materials and packaging technology. Changes in consumer requirements, growing environmental awareness and optimization of the production processes constantly initiate innovations.

Growing demands on multi-talented plastic film
A new term in the world of convenience packaging is “minimally processed”. This means the ingredients for a convenience product should remain as natural and as fresh as possible, although they must meet requirements like “convenient preparation of a quick meal in the microwave”. The product categories are divided into ready-to-use, ready-to-cook, pre-cooked or ready-to-eat. Different films are used for the package depending on the product and processing stage. Products with Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) keep fresh longer and look appetizing. This process involves replacing the air in the package with a protective gas. The protective gases, e.g. nitrogen, carbon dioxide or oxygen, are modified exactly to suit the product. MAP prevents or delays deteriorating changes like the growth of micro-organisms. Food – fruit, vegetables, meat or cheese – can also ripen in the package. MAP has proved to be a successful technology, which guarantees an attractive presentation in the shop plus improved hygiene and longer life thanks to hermetic sealing.

One trend in the fresh and frozen convenience segment is skin packaging. In this process, a film is sealed over the food like a skin so that the individual components cannot slip out of place. The products can even be presented hanging up. This particularly attractive form of presentation requires special films that are capable of flowing in the heated state and adapt to the outlines of the food on cooling down. It is a technical challenge to cut the film in the heated state and apply it to the tray package.

For fresh lettuces there are special breathable films for “controlled atmosphere packaging”. Here the barrier property of the film is more or less reversed. Lettuces take in CO2 and give off oxygen in the field, but exactly the opposite after shredding. The film must therefore be able to discharge CO2 from the package. This takes place through a laser microperforation, which allows the gases in the package to balance out. The quality of the packaging films used and the deep-draw and packaging technology play a decisive role for sensitive foods. In addition, the food processing companies must meticulously monitor MAP packages to ensure that the gas mixture is accurately dosed and the sealing seams are leakproof.

Bioplastics on the advance throughout Europe
The high oil prices are attracting attention to so-called bioplastics again. Most of the developments until now have not been priced competitively enough for large-scale use in the packaging industry. Bioplastics must be divided into biodegradable materials and plastics based on renewable raw materials. Some plastics based on renewable raw materials are not biodegradable. On the other hand, there are degradable materials based on fossil raw materials. Biodegradability or a biological raw material basis does not yet automatically mean an environmental advantage. About 4 % of oil and gas consumption are used for the production of plastics today. Renewable raw materials are actually used in the plastics industry if they offer economic and technical advantages.

The total consumption of plastics in Europe is 48.5 million t. Bioplastics with 0.05 million t are still virtually insignificant, although their share doubled from 2005 to 2006. The use of renewable products for the manufacture of bioplastics is restricted by the limited growing areas. For example, government subsidies for certain cultivated products – like rape for promoting biodiesel – can limit the reliable production of renewable raw materials in other areas.

Leading trading chains in Great Britain, Italy, Switzerland and the Netherlands already use bioplastic packages. The preferred product groups for these are fresh fruit and vegetables, sandwich and salad packages, but drink bottles, bowls, cups and trays are also already made from bioplastics in Europe. The trading companies expect not least a marketing advantage from offering their customers these kinds of packages. Estimates for 2006 by the Gesellschaft für Verpackungsmarktforschung (packaging market research) in Wiesbaden show that the bio share of disposable plastic packages in Germany is still less than one per cent, but the growth as much as 30 % (IK). One obstacle to success in Germany is the payment of disposal charges for plastics, which must be added to the higher prices of bioplastics if these cannot be proved as suitable for composting. On the other hand, compostable materials are exempt from disposal charges until 2012. This measure is intended to promote the market launch of bioplastics.