Companies constantly innovate and redesign their packaging to boost performance, enhance sustainability and improve marketability. Here’s a look at four recent packaging product launches or revamps on Packaging Dive’s radar.
Feeling flushed
Water-soluble packaging materials company SmartSolve wants its newest product to go down the tubes. PureNil 0 is a plastic-free, paper-based pouching material that the company says can be safely flushed down a toilet or rinsed down a drain.
SmartSolve says in a news release that the flushable product “helps brands go beyond recyclability to achieve advanced sustainability goals.” However, it can also be recycled in paper streams or composted at home, the company says. PureNil 0 is designed to quickly biodegrade in an aqueous environment, and it will break down if it accidentally ends up in the environment, according to the company.
PureNil 0 runs on standard form, fill and seal equipment and is safe for food contact. It’s suitable to hold dry and powdered products in categories such as household cleaners, personal care, garden and confectionery, SmartSolve says.
Being less abrasive
Seaman Paper’s Vela brand unveiled bags made from an anti-abrasive paper that are engineered to protect sensitive items like eyewear, electronics and luxury goods from scratches or scuffs.
The plastic-free products are FSC-certified and recyclable, the company says. The water-based coating is smooth and resists friction. The translucent bags allow for visual product identification and barcode scanning.
The products come in three formats: pre-formed bags, flat sheets and rolls, and edge-laminated tubes. They’re compatible with both automated systems and manual operations, according to Seaman Paper.
Smell you later
Canadian cannabis company Village Farms launched packaging for its Pure Sunfarms brand flower products that has a one-way aroma valve.
The pressure-activated valve is designed to release scent from inside the pouch only when squeezed. It also prevents air, moisture and other contaminants from entering the bag, according to the company.
The valve was adapted from similar technology on coffee packaging. The new pouches began hitting shelves in Canada in October.
Patent-pending pods
Ahlstrom introduced a new line of compostable coffee pods that it says break down in home compost conditions. The patent-pending product complements the company’s existing line of commercially compostable pods.
GreenPod Home pods received OK compost Home certification from testing and certification company TÜV Austria. The certification confirms the products can break down in home conditions without leaving toxic residues or microplastics behind, according to Ahlstrom.
These pods are compatible with all common converting lines, according to the company.
