Page 32 - FMT April

Packaging

Successfully Filling the Gap:

Cereals now in Paper Packaging

The use of resource-efficient materials is now a ‘must’ in the packaging industry. Numerous brand
manufacturers have identified this development and are already using environmentally friendly
substrates, however, the reluctance on the part of many food producers to switch from plastic-based
solutions to paper remains high. The innovation driver Sappi and the packaging machine manufacturer
ROVEMA demonstrate in a pilot project how this can work. A well-known cereal manufacturer
successfully switched its fully automated production of stand-up pouches to sealable barrier paper.

‘SUSTAINABILITY’ CHALLENGE project to adopt paper with special
As part of a company-wide sustain- barrier properties as the material
ability strategy, a well-known cereal for the stand-up pouches, that are
manufacturer wanted to completely used for different product groups
switch its packaging from plastic to and in different sizes, the packaging
paper. The company that produces specialists from Fernwald called
organic products such as flour, on the innovation leader Sappi to
porridge oats, muesli and bread support them. The two companies
mixes still occupies a niche role in the have been development partners
German market. Only one Austrian since 2018.
competitor has so far made strides
in this direction to the same extent. SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS
The company also placed high DEMAND HIGH EXPERTISE
demands on its partner ROVEMA For ROVEMA, it was clear that
with regard to effi cient packaging the only way they could fi nd a
processes based on high- quality sustainable substrate solution for
and above all, environmentally the customer, to ensure maximum
friendly packaging materials. In the performance, was with the help of

Sappi. “The smooth production of
stand-up pouches relies not only on
our special expertise in machine
confi guration. Every parameter
in this process is important, in
order to ensure high, continuous
production,” says Gerhard Kuss,
head of application technology at
ROVEMA GmbH, explaining the
challenge. “This is because, unlike
in the case of stand- up pouches or
flat pouches made from composite
materials, the resource- effi cient,
paper-based alternatives need to be
handled much more carefully during
the packaging process and during
production of the pouches. Paper
tolerates only a small amount of
tension transfer here and tears more

Food Marketing & Technology 32 April 2021