Case Study: Amcor Flexibles introduces the first metal free, recycle ready solution for dry and powdered

Foil and metallized laminates are the standard solution for packaging dry or powdered products that require a high moisture and oxygen barrier to extend shelf life.

But while multi-material structures perform very effectively in preserving contents, the metal layer renders the packaging difficult to recycle.

It's time for a more sustainable and responsible solution...

With growing commitments to meet packaging recyclability goals, brand owners are looking for innovative solutions for products that require an extended shelf life, including:

• Powdered milk and juices
• Dry mix foods
• Granolas and cereals
• Spice mixes
• Nuts and seeds
• Coffee beans and grounds

Amcor Flexibles has developed an innovative flexible film that provides a more sustainable alternative to standard metallized or foil structures currently in use. This is a significant first for the packaging industry.

Amcor’s AmPrima® PE Plus recycle ready solution for dry mix packaging delivers significant value:

• 100% metal free
• Pre-qualified by How2Recycle® in the U.S.
• Using Amcor’s patented AmSky™ recycle ready technology, packs have passed elevated shelf life tests achieving Water Vapor Transmission Rates (WVTR) of 0.5 g/m2/day in lab-controlled barrier tests
• Using an outer web with improved heat resistance, the AmPrima® films can match current line speeds and in some cases, exceed them
• Using reverse-printing for graphics protection, the film can be flexo- printed with high quality graphics for enhanced shelf appeal
• Pouches can be finished with either a gloss or matte and can mimic paper in both appearance and touch
• A high opacity sealant can be used to provide light or UV barrier where required
• Stiffness is comparable to incumbent paper structures, providing an easy to open experience for consumers
• AmPrima® PE Plus Heat Resistant is listed as an enabling technology for flexible recycling in the APR and SPC Design Guides in the U.S.
• The clarity of AmPrima® PE Plus allows for a transparent window, a feature not possible with foil structures

A high-barrier, metal free, recycle ready pouching solution for your products is ready today.

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.