Consumables

Flexible Packaging Success Stateside For NatureFlex

Wednesday 08. April 2009 - Winners of the 2009 Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards (sponsored by the Flexible Packaging Association) were announced recently in Florida and NatureFlex from Innovia Films was an integral part of the entry honoured with two gold awards.

The multi award-winning entry is the “Hot N Handy Bio-Pouch”, a specially designed food service sandwich wrap adopted throughout the USA. The sustainable structure, made from NatureFlex NVS is used for freshly prepared sandwiches and replaces rigid polystyrene containers typically available at delis, convenience stores and other locations. The Bio-Pouch is flexograpically surface-printed with a random four-color repeat graphic highlighting its biodegradable credentials.

NatureFlex NVS is a transparent, sustainable and biodegradable film manufactured by Innovia Films headquartered in the UK. The Flexible Packaging Association honoured Robbie Manufacturing with two awards for the pack including a Gold Award for Packaging Excellence and another Gold Award for Sustainability and Environmental Achievement.

Tara Downing, Product Manager at Robbie Manufacturing said, “The Hot N Handy Bio-Pouch is the best sustainable solution on the market for freshly prepared sandwiches. Not only does it provide added convenience for consumers such as improved sandwich freshness and resealable adhesive strip closure, but it also represents a true innovation in environmentally-friendly packaging. Compared to rigid polystyrene containers, the product uses 92 percent less crude oil, reduces CO2 emissions by 56 percent and reduces packaging material waste by weight by 75 percent.”

About 4 million pounds of rubbish is produced by the preparation and delivery of 163 million deli sandwiches into the hands of consumers.

The Bio-Pouch has a built-in gusset which allows for various sizes of sandwiches to fit into one pouch, thus eliminating the need to stock multiple SKUs for each sandwich.

NatureFlex is produced from renewable wood pulp sourced from managed plantations which either have or are actively working towards Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. The product is also compostable and certified under EN13432 and ASTM D6400 to compost within six weeks.

The accolades at the 2009 FPA Awards follow several other major industry awards for NatureFlex including the 2008 DuPont Sustainable Packaging Award and two Gold Awards for Sustainable Packaging Innovation and Leadership from the Packaging Association of Canada.

Roslyn Smith, Sales & Marketing Manager, Americas stated, “Innovia Films congratulates Robbie Manufacturing for these prestigious awards. They are truly an innovative company whose commitment to the environment and creative approach has enabled them to provide a packaging solution which offers a distinct competitive advantage to their customers.”