Accredo Packaging and Fresh-Lock® Develop Biobased Pouch with Zipper Closure
This pioneering product represents a major advancement in more sustainable packaging, addressing the growing demand for more environmentally responsible solutions.
Accredo Packaging, a leader in the development of innovative, more sustainable packaging solutions for the food and consumer products industries, has collaborated with Fresh-Lock® closures, a brand of Reynolds Consumer Products, to introduce the first 100% biobased resin pouch with a zipper closure.
This pioneering product represents a major advancement in more sustainable packaging, addressing the growing demand for more environmentally responsible solutions compared to conventional packaging. Made from sugarcane-derived resin, the pouch comprises a fully renewable composition to help brands meet their sustainability goals by lessening environmental impact.
The development of this innovative packaging sets a new industry standard by balancing various factors, including sustainability, functionality, and performance, while providing brands with a powerful tool to help achieve their greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals. Initially targeted at the food sector, the biobased pouch also offers promising applications in industries prioritizing a more sustainable approach, such as cosmetics, personal care, and household goods.
Overcoming substantial technical hurdles in the pouch making was a key part of the process, particularly in adapting equipment to accommodate a single stream of sugarcane-derived resin. Unlike conventional packaging, which relies on multiple resin grades, this solution uses the limited grades of sugarcane resin to match the performance of virgin plastic. Achieving this milestone involved precise modifications to equipment settings—temperature, pressure, and cooling—to ensure the pouch met all performance standards, without compromising appearance or quality.
The Fresh-Lock team launched their first of a new line of biobased closures, Fresh-Lock Renewables, with zipper style 8041B to add performance to this pouch. This closure is particle resistant to add protection to granular and powdered products, which can be a challenge for traditional zippers, yet helps meet sustainability goals by utilizing renewable sources.
Fresh-Lock’s closure is particle resistant, making it ideal for granular products.
Courtesy of Accredo Packaging
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Paboco Launches Market-Ready Paper Bottle and Cap
Paboco and Blue Ocean Closures have collaborated to create the industry’s first market-ready paper bottle and fiber-based cap combination, available now and expected to reach consumers in early 2025.
Paboco, building on years of experience in the advancement and introduction of paper bottle packaging, is applying those learnings to launch a product line including the first ever available combination of paper bottles & fiber-based caps.
Following the mission of repacking the planet, Paboco consistently drives for solutions that improve on what has come before; creating lasting, impactful change that brings innovation into reality. Partnering with the company Blue Ocean Closures, who have launched a standard closure for solids and pills, the solution is immediately ready for market use.
This entire package, including cap, has a total weight of less than 16 grams, with an HDPE barrier weighing below 2 grams, adhering to Paboco’s focus on using a minimum amount of materials in manufacturing. With the bottle’s thin barrier, the combined package is as recyclable as paper packaging, which is huge step in the right direction for the company and consumer brands.
This milestone is a continuation of Paboco’s journey of introducing paper bottles at scale by the end of 2025 and developing for future bio-based solutions.
Paboco will apply the technical and design learnings from the combination of paper bottles and caps within the Pioneer Community, a group of companies who were first in supporting paper bottles, where development continues in solving the packaging needs of a wide variety of products.
Courtesy of Paboco
Tetra Pak and Lactalis Develop Carton Made of Recycled Polymers
Tetra Pak and Lactalis have unveiled a carton package that uses certified recycled polymers linked to used beverage cartons, marking a first for the beverage carton industry and a significant step towards a circular economy.
This material has been certified by ISCC PLUS as originating from the recycling process of used beverage cartons in Spain and is allocated to the package based on a mass balance attribution method. This means that the certified recycled polymers are made up of a mix of recycled and non-recycled, virgin fossil feedstock, ensuring the corresponding volume of recycled material is sourced and tracked throughout the supply chain. This is verified by a third-party auditor, according to the ISCC Chain of Custody Procedure. The chemical recycling process ensures that the certified recycled polymers do not compromise the package’s quality, food safety or any other attributes, further demonstrating the circular potential of cartons.
The advancement keeps quality resources in circulation and reduces the industry’s dependence on virgin, fossil-based materials, which aligns with both companies ambitions to further enhance the environmental profile of packaging. Tetra Pak plans to invest €100 million annually for the next five to ten years to achieve this, while Lactalis has made responsible packaging and the circular economy one of its global environmental priorities, together with animal welfare across their partner farms and decarbonization of all their activities by 2050.
