Greiner Packaging produces cardboard-plastic packaging for Henkel containing 50 % post-consumer recycled PP Efforts to develop more sustainable packaging have resulted in an increasing use of cardboard-plastic combinations, as one way to reduce plastic consumption.
Greiner Packaging is now going one better. Its K3-F packaging not only reduces the use of plastic by more than 40 % versus the previous packaging, but it is also made with 50 % recycled polypropylene (r-PP) derived from post-consumer waste.
The solution is suitable for powdered foods, or as a replacement for tube-shaped packaging or pouches like those used for pet food.
The newly developed cardboard-plastic solution, winner of a Henkel Sustainability Award in January 2019, has also been selected by Henkel to package various of its detergent capsule products, including its Persil 4in1 DISCS.
More sustainable, the packaging has nonetheless retained its attractive appearance, due to the two-layer process devised by Greiner Packaging.
The inside of the plastic container is made of white virgin material to guarantee a high-quality appearance and product presentation; the outer layer of the packaging contains r-PP from post-consumer sources. The greyish colour of this outer layer does not affect the look of the packaging, as it is enveloped in a colourfully printed cardboard sleeve - made with 92 % recycled content.
A patented tear-off system makes it easy to separate the cardboard wrap and the plastic container for recycling purposes. The packaging is 100%, with each of the two components able to be disposed of separately.
And, says Greiner, the packaging’s lower plastic content helps to reduce CO2 emissions, while the cardboard wrap maintains the container’s stability.
The packaging solution fits within Henkel’s sustainable packaging targets, aimed at reducing plastic waste and fostering a circular economy. These include decreasing the amount of fossil-based virgin plastics in its consumer products by 50% by 2025.
Moreover, both Greiner Packaging and Henkel are signatories to the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment launched by the UK-based Ellen MacArthur Foundation, an initiative that aims to eliminate problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging, to make packaging reusable, recyclable, or compostable, and to increase the use of recycled materials in packaging. The cardboard-recycled plastic packaging solution is fully in line with these goals.