Hydropol™ technology can make complex unrecyclable packaging fully recyclable.
The British Snack Co. has won the Eco Packaging category of Product of the Year, based on a survey of 8,000 people by Kantar, for its innovative 100% recyclable crisp packets made from paper combined with Hydropol™. This new packaging technology can replace conventional crisp packets which are made from hard to recycle polypropylene1 and often need to be returned to store.
This brings the awards tally to four, with the packets already winning the Grocer Gold Award for Innovative Pack of the Year, Innovation of the Year in the UK Packaging Awards and the packaging category of GAMA Innovation.
Developed by sustainable paper packaging manufacturer, EvoPak, the new paper packet (known as MRCM) incorporates a layer of Hydropol™ which makes unrecyclable packaging fully recyclable because it is dissolvable and biodegradable. Its marine-safe, non-toxic polymer technology developed by Aquapak, breaks down harmlessly in all existing recycling streams. If it does escape into the environment, it biodegrades completely, leaving nothing behind (i.e. no harmful microplastics).
This new packaging innovation allows consumers to simply put crisp packets into their paper recycling.
OPRL certified as recyclable The new crisp packets have been certified as recyclable in standard paper recycling mills by OPRL, the only evidence-based on pack recycling labelling scheme. This means they feature the green recycle logo and can be disposed of in consumer kerbside collections along with other paper material, unlike other crisp packets which must be returned to store for disposal. The Hydropol layer is uniquely formulated to dissolve completely in the recycling process, allowing up to 100% recovery of paper pulp in the paper mill.
Find out more about how we developed the worlds first kerbside recyclable crisp packet.
Tom Lock, Founder of The British Snack Co., commented: “Winning another award for our new crisp packets is a fantastic endorsement of the paper technology developed by EvoPak. Not only does it keep the crisps in perfect condition, but the packets are much more convenient for consumers to recycle as they just go into their kerbside collections with other recyclable materials.”
Mark Lapping, Chief Executive Officer, Aquapak, said: “Hydropol™ technology makes unrecyclable packaging fully recyclable, and this breakthrough has been recognised by a series of industry awards. The good news is that it can be used in a range of product categories, from snacks and confectionery to pasta and bakery products, so there’s a huge opportunity for FMCG brands to lead the way by switching from conventional plastic to Hydropol™.”
A planet-friendly alternative to conventional snack packaging
The new paper packaging provides a functional and planet-friendly alternative to current crisp, salty snack and confectionery packaging which, over the past 30 years, has become complex with the development of lightweight multi-layer structures. This has driven efficiency and shelf life, but the complexity makes them impossible to deal with at end of life. This is compounded by consumer consumption, which is often on the move, making littering a bigger problem than other formats. The other factor is that small units using a complex combination of materials makes recycling and recovery options currently limited, resulting in landfill with no circularity option.
No need to return to store for specialist recycling streams
Currently, it is only possible to recycle conventional snack wrappers by returning them to store, which isn’t convenient for consumers and in many cases, where recycling processes aren’t carefully controlled, the wrapper still ends up in landfill or incinerated. This also presents significant challenges for large-scale hospitality operations who are seeking to increase the amount of waste packaging that goes into recycling streams.
Premium product protection
Hydropol™ gives the paper a functional performance and also provides a high oxygen (OTR) barrier, enabling brands to switch to paper packaging. To meet high moisture barriers needed to keep the crisps fresh in transit and on the shelf, Hydropol™ is used in combination with Nissha metallised paper in order to give the moisture barrier required for this application.
1The British Crisp Co. launched the first fully recyclable paper crisp packet, providing an environmentally friendly and scalable alternative to the eight billion packets thrown away each year in the UK, ending up in landfill or are incinerated.
