Application News A
Application News A ‘Chip off the Old Block’! Boulder Canyon Natural Foods, a leading North American snack food manufacturer, has introduced a renewable, fully compostable pack for its line of All Natural Kettle Cooked Potato Chips. The innovative packaging is gaining attention because it looks, feels and sounds the same as traditional, non-compostable bags, figuratively a ‘chip off the old block’. The bag is the first of its kind on the market to be made from a structure that incorporates metallised NatureFlex NKM (cellulose-based flexible film) from Innovia Films. “At Boulder Canyon Natural Foods we are driven by a strong commitment to provide natural foods that are free of additives and artificial ingredients, while also being good to the planet,” said Steve Sklar, senior vice president of marketing for Boulder Canyon. “Our new compostable packaging ensures that we maintain that commitment by setting a positive example for the industry, educating consumers on key issues and enabling them to play a role in improving the environment by diverting waste away from landfills.” NatureFlex is not only compostable, but also confirmed as suitable for emerging ‘waste to energy‘ techniques such as anaerobic digestion. Genpak, the Canadian-based packaging converter that spearheaded the research and development of the Boulder Canyon bag, called on long-time partner Innovia Films to supply the film used in the structure. According to Genpak development manager, Bill Reilly, “We recommended NatureFlex to Boulder Canyon for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the film performs well technically and has excellent moisture, gas and light barrier properties that enhance shelf life and protect the product. Secondly, NatureFlex is very well aligned with Boulder Canyon’s sustainability goals, so we knew it was an excellent fit for their company values as well as the application.” MT www.innoviafilms.com www.bouldercanyonfoods.com www.genpak.com Greener Package Award for Soil-Wrap Ball Innovations, a business unit of Ball Horticultural Company, recently received a 2010 Greener Package Award for its SoilWrap ® plantable container made with Mirel bioplastics (PHA) by Telles. In addition, both Mirel and SoilWrap are listed on the USDA Biopreferred program, which designates biobased products that are preferred for purchase by Federal agencies and their contractors. Made with Mirel, SoilWrap is a biobased, plantable, biodegradable alternative to petroleum-based plastic plant pots. In addition to eliminating waste, internal and commercial grower trials have shown that the superior drainage and gas exchange permitted by the bottomless SoilWrap design allows many species of plants to grow more quickly than in conventional pots. Mirel also provides a more durable container than other natural fiber pots and its physical properties allow it to be easily printed with brand messaging and UPC barcodes for attractive on-shelf appearance. “SoilWrap is a prime example of a product that not only leverages Mirel’s ability to biodegrade in soil and also provides added convenience and value to the consumer,” said Robert Engle, Telles general manager. “We are thrilled to be recognized with our partner Ball for developing innovative packaging that meets a significant need in the horticulture market. Mirel-based bioplastics continue to be introduced across a number of industries, from packaging to consumer goods, to meet the growing demand for reducing packaging and waste sent to landfills.” “We are in an industry that is by nature focused on the environment, so bringing a product to market that decreases waste and offers superior performance is a huge win for us,” said Greg Trabka, product development manager, Ball Horticultural Company. “When developing SoilWrap, Ball recognized the need for a bioplastic resin that responded to the issue of unnecessary waste, maintained its performance integrity through the production cycle to the retail shelf, and met environmental certification standards. Mirel was the only biobased, biodegradable offering that met all of our business needs and we look forward to growing our relationship with Telles on future product endeavors.” www.BallHort.com/Sustainable www.mirelplastics.com 42 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/10] Vol. 5
