In the Netherlands, organic grains company De Halm has partnered with Bio4pack and TIPA to develop compostable packaging.
TIPA produces films at the specifications needed to make Bio4pack’s laminates transparent, durable, and with the necessary shelf-life for De Halm’s products. “The transparency and the machinability of the Bio4pack Laminate was particularly appealing—it was more transparent than starch-based films,” Rob van den Berg, CEO of De Halm, tells Packaging Europe. The laminate also enables carry weight of up to 750 grams.
“While not all plastics are created equal, it is especially difficult for flexible plastic packaging,” said TIPA’s CEO and co-founder, Daphna Nissenbaum. “As awareness grows, we are more capable of discerning the severe recycling challenges associated with multilayer flexible plastic packaging without some prior separation process. Because laminate materials are usually sent straight to landfill or incinerated, they have limited value post usage.”