PrimeSeal™ Eco-Tite® Recycle-Ready Shrink Bag
Company:
Amcor (Australia and New Zealand)
Country: Australia and New Zealand
Category: Food
Barrier shrink bags have been the key packaging format for primal protein packaging for decades. It is also one of the largest non-recyclable flexible packaging formats by volume. As part of Amcor’s plan to ensure their packaging was 100% recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025, Amcor ANZ invested in local Research and Development and talent to produce Ecotite R, a new high barrier shrink bag with comparable performance to existing bags, but free of PVDC and other contaminants that prevent recycling. This also ensured their domestic and export Customers would be compliant with proposed recycling legislation in Australia, New Zealand, the EU, UK, South Korea and other jurisdictions. Ecotite R is recyclable in return to store programs; and will meet future Australian and international requirements for advanced soft plastics recycling. The bags are 6% lighter at the same thickness than the current PVDC based bags, providing a carbon footprint improvement.
Ecotite R ensures that bulk and retail protein remains secure for transportation, is safe for consumers, and provides extended shelf life, at a low cost. Ecotite R shrink bags can be recycled in current return to store programs in Australia and New Zealand; and will qualify for advanced recycling when available in Australia from Amcor and its industry partners from 2024. Once this capacity is available, compared directly with an equivalent single use PVDC bag, Ecotite R has the potential to reduce non-renewable primary energy demand by >60%, deliver a >45% lower Carbon footprint, and use >55% less water over its manufacturing lifecycle. This Life Cycle Assessment, which is based on Amcor’s Carbon Trust certified ASSET review, does not include the positive impact of adding advanced post-Consumer recycled resin content to the Ecotite R bags, which will be available from 2025.