At Parkside, we understand that every fresh produce product is unique – and so is the packaging it requires.
Some produce like cherries, require an airtight seal to keep them fresh. Some need to be kept dry, while others need a breathable solution – think tomatoes and raspberries. Many types of produce require absolutely no packaging at all – we have yet to find a more effective solution for bananas and oranges than their natural peels.
That’s why we don’t rely on a single magic bullet solution to support our customers in the produce sector. We’ve developed a whole range of innovative lidding film solutions utilising our market-leading technology to support almost any application.
Improve recyclability with Popflex® easy-open film
Study after study shows consumers want sustainable packaging and will vote with their wallets to support it. However, they don’t want to – and shouldn’t have to – sacrifice convenience and functionality to get it, and vice versa.
In many cases, easy-open lidding films add convenience but compromise a pack’s circularity by adding adhesives, stickers and labels or plastic zippers, which can contaminate the recycling stream. This can be solved by our patented ParkScribe laser scoring system, which creates an integral opening that users can simply pop open. The system adds tiny perforations to a recycle-ready film made from a single plastic (monopolymer), meaning there is no need for adhesives or stickers.
And, when weld-sealed to a tray made from the same recyclable plastic (for example, a PET film paired with a PET tray), this ensures the entire pack – film and tray – stay attached during the recycling process. This makes the entire tray suitable for recycling in domestic recycling bins, so consumers do not have to choose between convenience and sustainability, while growers and brands can still maximise the shelf-life of their produce.
Next-generation recyclable paper solutions
While great strides have been made in plastic recycling in recent years, paper-based materials are already widely recycled at scale. For less sensitive applications, they represent a highly circular option for produce packers and growers.
We have played a leading role in driving paper innovation through our fully recyclable Recoflex™ range, which includes a variety of paper-based laminates suitable for many produce applications. Each of these different configurations can be tweaked and tailored to meet the specific needs of each application. For example, Recoflex Crystal – our recyclable translucent paper – is available in 44g and 65g variants, each one offering different levels of air permeability, heat seal temperatures, thickness and tensile strength.
Other options for the produce sector include our paper-based flow wrap and a freezer-grade paper suitable for frozen produce applications.
Market-leading compostable innovations
Another increasingly popular circular packaging innovation is compostable lidding films made with cellulose. These solutions enable growers and packers to adopt a cradle-to-cradle option that degrades into nothing more than CO2, biomass and water at end-of-life.
Our Park2Nature™ compostable material is certified as home compostable, meaning it breaks down within 26 weeks in a domestic compost heap and within 12 weeks at an industrial composting facility. This makes it the ideal sustainable choice for produce like tomatoes, combining a good barrier performance with a minimised environmental footprint. When used with a pulp tray, this ensures the entire pack is compostable.
Compostable packaging also represents a future-proof option. The text of PPWR contains a commitment to review the progress of bio-based materials in 2027, at which point they may set targets, obligations or incentives to incorporate compostable materials into packaging – just as EPR reforms look to incentivise recyclable packaging today.
High barrier films to retain freshness
For sensitive produce applications that need the highest level of barrier protection, the most sustainable packaging solution is the one that preserves its contents the longest. Food waste has a significantly higher environmental footprint than packaging waste, so packaging that doesn’t fulfil its primary purpose just results in more waste, no matter how ‘sustainably’ it’s designed.
However, this doesn’t mean giving up on those sustainability goals entirely. It’s still possible to create a monopolymer lidding film made from a single type of recyclable plastic, such as PP. PP is increasingly recycled in front-of-store collections and domestic recycling facilities, meaning it is a future-proof material that will see its recovery rates rise with time. In addition, these films can contain post-consumer recycled content, potentially helping businesses reduce their plastic packaging tax burden.
It can be manufactured in duplex or triplex configurations, with the triplex option offering the highest level of protection against oxygen transmission as well as aromas, grease and moisture.
See our solutions for yourself
Why not meet our experts in person at Fruit Logistica (Hall 1.1, Stand C-20) from 5-7 February and see our solutions in action, courtesy of our partners on the ProSeal stand? Get in touch today if you’d like to meet us there!
