Since introducing its CARE (circularity, alliances, resources and employees) strategy last year, Paccor, a leading German packaging manufacturer, has steadily worked to progress its aim of accelerating the transformation toward a more circular economy.
CARE work as a guide in the implementation path for its sustainability practices. The strategy will also provide support for the company in achieving its goal of recyclability in practice and at scale for all products by 2023, ahead of the European Union timescale, the Düsseldorf-based company said.
Paccor officials said the search for the most sustainable packaging materials for a safe and efficient food value chain is one of the company’s fundamental steps in accelerating the transformation toward a circular economy. The first step on the roadmap to reach those goals is to further increase the use of post-consumer resin, from both mechanical and chemical technologies, as well as alternative bio-based materials.
“As these alternatives are in demand, we are sure that our strategy will help our customers offer a wider range of packaging solutions to the end consumer and help them achieve their sustainability goals and commitments,” CEO Andreas Schütte said. “With a healthy mix of reduce, recycle and replace, we will succeed in meeting the targets set by the legislator for the industry.”
The initial results are already visible. Paccor has now announced it is ready to produce 100 percent biobased polypropylene (Bio-PP) products for its customer Orkla, a leading supplier of branded consumer goods to the grocery, out-of home, specialized retail, pharmacy and bakery sectors in the Nordic countries.
Together with Orkla, the company is currently testing the use of 100 percent bio-PP at its Finnish production site in Hämeenlinna. The material is derived from renewable resources and produced in accordance with the ISCC principle of mass balance, a chemical industry standard for managing and tracing sustainability characteristics of circular and/or bio-based materials in a complex value chain. In addition to the site in Finland, the Paccor production site in Ravensburg, Germany, has also been granted ISCC certification.
Paccor is one of the first rigid plastic manufacturers to accomplish the production of bio-PP products, including the new recyclable transparent bowl for frozen ready meals. Following a number of successful pilot programs, the new material is now ready to be launched in the market.
“We are pleased that we are now able to switch production from virgin fossil to bio-based PP,” Schütte said.
After successful pilot programs, Paccor is now looking forward to offering its new biocomposite to business partners around the world.
“Our collaboration with Paccor is a good example of how a pioneering material can be implemented in food applications and can help to meet consumer demand for more sustainable products,” said Elna Hallgard, development manager packaging at Orkla.