Ahlstrom-Munksjö to Develop Biodegradable Flexible Paper-based Packaging
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Ahlstrom-Munksjö (Helsinki, Finland) has partnered this month (Nov. 2018) with five companies to develop a new flexible paper-based packaging solution.
The objective is to develop a renewable, biodegradable and recyclable flexible paper‐based packaging material, by replacing current materials by more sustainable ones, leading to a reduced amount of plastic films. There is a significant market potential, as the size of the flexible plastic packaging market for dry food applications is evaluated at around EUR 3.7 billion a year in Europe.
Flexible packaging is widely used in food wrapping, pet food and non-food packaging, and numerous other end-use applications what we see at the supermarkets.
Usually flexible packaging contains a plastic film and/or an aluminum foil, creating an excellent barrier to water vapor, oxygen, and contaminants. Downside in using plastic and aluminum relates to the end of the life-cycle when the packaging becomes waste. In the normal waste management it ends up being either burned or dumped into landfill.
