Pet food supplier Vet’s Kitchen in the UK was in search of a more sustainable solution for its cat and dog food laminate packaging. As a premium pet food brand known for its attention to nutrition and pet health, the new packaging needed to project a quality image while at the same time demonstrating the brand’s commitment to prioritising environmental goals.
Working in close collaboration with Tyler Packaging, a specialist packaging supplier also based in the UK, a mono polymer laminate packaging was developed that easily met both requirements.
Vet’s Kitchen’s new packaging features a flat bottom single lip, with an easy-open feature and resealable zipper to maintain freshness and protect the product’s shelf life. The mono polymer technology makes this packaging 100% recyclable. Whilst conventional multi-layer composite film layers in packaging are difficult to recycle, mono-material films constructed from a single polymer resin grade 4 LDPE type are fully recyclable.
“Our certified 100% recyclable structure has registered matt and gloss finish, so the pack stands out, said sales and technical director Adam Kay.
“Our key focus is not to increase a customer’s footprint by moving to a recyclable pack, but reduce it.”
The new packaging also features an OPRL (on-package recycling label) to prompt customers to dispose of packing responsibly and sustainably.
The new design has allowed the company to reduce its plastic use by over a quarter (27%) on some lines, and 17% across the range, said head of marketing for the brand, said Jilly Whibberley
The packaging is available as of October, beginning with dry dog food.
“It was a great project to work on under a very tight timeframe,” said Kay. He added that Tyler Packaging will be launching a 30% recycled content pack and 30% bio-based pack in the very near future, all also 100% recyclable.