Constantia Flexibles and ExxonMobil develop a recyclable freezer film
Constantia Drukpol, one of the Polish plants of leading flexible packaging converter Constantia Flexibles, has teamed up with ExxonMobil, a prominent supplier of polyethylene resins, to develop a freezer film for the ready-to-use plant-based food brand Bonduelle.
This collaboration led to the development of a mono-material polyethylene (PE) solution designed to replace traditional multi-material metalised films, which can make the packaging easier to recycle and better suited for a variety of vegetables.
The new film is designed to address the packaging needs for both “easy to pack” vegetables such as peas and green beans and “challenging to pack” vegetables like spinach and broccoli, which were the primary focus of this project due to their tougher packaging requirements.
Arnaud Warusfel, packaging development manager at Bonduelle Europe Long Life, highlighted the project’s goals and achievements, stating that for the retail frozen bag category, Bonduelle’s aim is to replace the “historical multi-material metalised film”, which can be difficult to recycle.
“We selected a mono-material PE solution without adhesives to facilitate easier recycling compared to multi-material solutions,” Warusfel explains. “Throughout the development process, we encountered numerous challenges but successfully overcame them with the technical expertise of Constantia Drukpol and ExxonMobil.”
In the lab, the reinforced solution for “challenging to pack” vegetables demonstrated superior puncture and tear resistance, encouraging Bonduelle to conduct a factory trial. The film performed excellently on Bonduelle’s vertical form fill seal (VFFS) packaging line, showing robust abrasion resistance and maintaining high speeds, which were key to its adoption in addition to a Marketplace acceptance for Bonduelle brand to stand out on shelves.
Constantia Drukpol was selected for its strong HD Flexography printing expertise and experience in blown coextrusion film, lamination, laser cutting, and pouch-making.
“ExxonMobil was responsible for polymer production, and our team at Constantia Drukpol focused on film production and excellence in printing. The results were impressive: The new packaging has also been positively welcomed by the market in terms of quality and aesthetics”, explains Marc Rademacher, executive vice president of consumer commercial at Constantia Flexibles.
*Recyclable in communities with programs and facilities in place that collect and recycle plastic film
