Case Study: Amcor Flexibles introduces the first high-speed, heat resistant recycle ready cheese pouch

The role of packaging for shredded cheese is complex, requiring:

• Specific barriers to preserve the product
• Easy-to-open fitments that can withstand high-temperature sealing and avoid leakers
• The ability to run on high-speed production lines
• Optimizing the product’s on-shelf appeal

Until now only mixed material films have performed well enough, but they are hard to recycle and prevent brand owners from reaching sustainability goals.

This is a significant first for the dairy industry. Amcor’s AmPrima® PE Plus heat resistant recycle ready solution for shredded cheese delivers significant value to producers:

• The laminate is pre-qualified for the How2Recycle® label for applications that meet the clean-and-dry requirement
• More sustainable film and zipper combination that can withstand high sealing temperature of up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit without film distortion
• Excellent heat resistance in the outer web improves hermeticity to prevent leakage
• Packs have passed shelf-life tests achieving water vapor transmission rates (WVTR) of 0.5g/m2/day and oxygen transmission rates (OTR) of 0.03 cc/m2/day (0.5 cc/100in2/day) [Test conditions – WVTR 100°F, 90% RH at 1 atm; OTR: 73°F, 0% RH at 1 atm]
• Matching run speeds of 45 cycles/minute achieved with a non-recyclable oriented polyester laminate, for up to 135 pouches/minute on triplex (3 pouches/cycle) mode
• A drop-in solution capable of running at high speeds on any packaging machine, existing or new
• Tear and stiffness are comparable to OPET alternatives, providing an easy to open experience for consumers
• Available with IntegraScore® or laser score opening features
• Ability to achieve a registered matte print finish, enables high quality graphics for improved stand-out-on-shelf that matches existing performance

The opportunity to lead the market with the first high speed, heat resistant, recycle ready retail shredded cheese solution is here today.

And it’s ready to run fast, now!

AmPrima® is the result of many years of research into how to remove the OPET or other outer layers (which currently render mixed-material films unrecyclable), and replace it with a film structure that is compatible with the flexible PE recycling stream. The challenge was to ensure that what we replaced it with still delivered on all those features and capabilities that our customers expect.

The AmPrima® portfolio provides customers with a packaging solution designed to be recycled, if clean and dry, through existing store drop-offs or curbside where available. The portfolio is designed to meet customers’ individual requirements against multiple performance criteria, such as stiffness and strength, clarity, line speeds, fitment requirements, graphics and print finishes.

Our expert teams will discuss each customer’s individual needs across all of these criteria and identify the ideal AmPrima® film structure for a recycle ready solution with no compromise on performance. AmPrima® PE Plus formats are available to address more complex customer applications.

In January 2018, Amcor was the first packaging company to sign a global commitment to develop all our packaging to be recyclable or reusable by 2025, to increase our use of post consumer recycled content and drive greater recycling, worldwide.

At AFNA we’ve also been working toward that goal for years. In fact, over 80% of our portfolio is recyclable or has an alternative that is designed to be recycled.

But it’s not enough to design packaging that is recycle ready. For decades, our packaging innovations have worked to protect products better, to lengthen shelf-life, to reduce food waste, to meet distribution challenges, and to reduce the package’s carbon footprint. This, to us, is the definition of responsible, sustainable packaging, so it is vital that our recycle ready solutions also deliver on these core benefits for our customers and their consumers.

ASSET™ is Amcor’s proprietary Carbon Trust-certified life cycle assessment (LCA) service designed to improve the environmental performance of packaging solutions by providing a complete and fact-based comparison of different options.