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5 Firms Develop Recyclable Pouch

New structure makes Bear Naked granola pouch acceptable to Store Drop-Off programs.

The Bear Naked package utilizes zipper style 8113, a recyclable option from the Fresh-Lock® 8000 Series.
The Bear Naked package utilizes zipper style 8113, a recyclable option from the Fresh-Lock® 8000 Series.

Show Daily Exclusive - The flexible packaging industry is tackling sustainability issues head-on, and leaders are working together to make recyclable pouches a reality in support of a more circular economy. According to the Flexible Packaging Association (Booth C-1341), flexible packaging already comes with some impressive sustainability benefits that relate to source reduction, less material going into landfills, reduced food waste via extended shelf life and reclosable features and fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to rigid packaging.

However, consumers pay more attention to how they dispose of a package than how it is made and transported, and creating a consumer-friendly circular path with recyclability has been a bit of an obstacle for flexible packaging. Until recently, most stand-up pouches ended up in the trash because many materials and components go into a flexible pouch. For easy recycling, each element must meet certain requirements.

That is beginning to happen. This year, Bear Naked® granola, a Kellogg product, launched a fully recyclable stand-up pouch. The 18-month journey involved five companies. The goal was to produce a recyclable pouch and do it efficiently while maintaining a consistent experience for consumers. Each organization played a role.

THE BRAND
Kellogg wanted to make it easier for loyal consumers to recycle its packaging. It had been using a service for its Bear Naked granola that required consumers to sign up for a special program and ship flexible pouches to a location for recycling. That’s a lot of work.

Instead, the company wanted consumers to be able to take used pouches to retail stores, using the more convenient How2Recycle® program Store Drop- Off. However, before that could happen, Kellogg needed a recyclable film structure that would be acceptable at Drop-Off locations.
THE FILM
The biggest challenge in recyclable flexible packaging is the film structure. Although these packages are lightweight and thin, there are actually many layers of material involved. In order for a flexible package to be acceptable at front-of-store collection bins, a single-source, polyethylene (PE) film is needed. Nine-layer Entour™ film from Berry Global (Booth US-7233) fit the bill and provided other important features related to barrier, window clarity, stiffness, sealability, feel and functionality.

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