The paper company and the producer of speciality high performance Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) and Cellulose films have combined, claiming that they can offer the packaging industry an "alternative, combining traditional technical properties and equivalent packaging performance". Both companies said that the best end-of-life options for flexible laminates are either industrial/home composting or ultimately anaerobic digestion which turns waste into a useful energy source.
Antoine de Forton, business development manager, Sappi said: "Many European countries have realised that home composting is a viable opportunity for managing some of the domestic household waste stream. It empowers home owners to take responsibility for their own degradable waste.? Packs made from compostable packaging such as the Innovia Films and Sappi solution makes this task much easier."
The development is a response to the new EU Packaging Directive, which is set to come into force in 2014. It stipulates that the packaging producer will be responsible for ensuring that "packaging is not excessive for the purpose intended and is suitable for recycling, energy recovery or composting".? There will be an emphasis on building the minimisation of waste and recovery into the package at the design stage to ensure resource efficiencies as well as product protection.
