Futamura, a producer of plastic and cellulose (NatureFlex & Cellophane) films, and sustainable packaging manufacturer Bio4Pack have teamed up to create a new compostable packing solution for Dutch organic cereal producer De Halm.
The new pack uses NatureFlex cellulose films which are laminated to Tipa film to provide improved sealability.
The NatureFlex films are developed to offers barrier properties against moisture, gases and mineral oils, Futamura said.
Since the NatureFlex cellulose films are made from renewable and responsibly sourced wood pulp, the new pack allows Dutch consumers to buy, use and dispose it in their green waste bin, as accepted by the Dutch waste infrastructure.
The NatureFlex cellulose films are independently certified industrial compostable according to the European standard EN13432 and TÜV Austria’s OK Compost Home standard for home composting.
Futamura said that the NatureFlex film was used in the recent plastic free aisle introduced by supermarket chain Ekoplaza.
Ekoplaza said that its plastic free aisle required flexible packaging that is made from ‘innovative compostable biomaterials’, thus NatureFlex cellulose films was the natural and easy choice.
Futamura EMEA sales and marketing manager Andy Sweetman said: “It is an easy substitute for some conventional plastics, especially for dry produce such as the De Halm cereal bag. We are looking forward to the plastic free aisle concept developing in other countries.”
Bio4Pack director Patrick Gerritsen said: “We have been producing sustainable packaging from bio materials for a number of years. It is fantastic to see these types of solutions being more broadly recognized.
“We have used NatureFlex films for many of our packs as they are fully compostable and easily converted; which means we can use them on their own, or as with the De Halm pack, as part of a more complex bio-laminate structure.”
