Films for the Future
Brand owners are beginning to use alternative film materials to support sustainability initiatives.
August 2008 by Tom Polischuk
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Film materials have enjoyed increased usage in the packaging arena for many years now, and this trend will no doubt continue. There are, however, significant, broad-based considerations that will impact the nature and degree of its overall growth in the years ahead.
A couple of these considerations you have undoubtedly heard of (if you haven’t, you probably couldn’t count yourself among the living). One is the general upward trend in oil costs, also known as skyrocketing oil prices. The other is sustainability, which is being driven by a growing consensus that we are simply consuming the earth’s resources too rapidly and leaving behind earth-damaging by-products.
Although petroleum-based materials will continue to dominate the packaging landscape for years to come, the use of film materials derived from other, more earth-friendly sources is becoming more common. A class of products coming to the forefront in people’s lives is bio-based in nature, derived from starches found in plants. These products include not only alternative fuels such as ethanol, but also packaging materials.
Several new package designs have been implemented in recent months using EarthFirst®, a film manufactured and supplied by Plastic Suppliers using NatureWorks LLC’s Ingeo™ polylactic acid (PLA) resin that is produced from plants. Seal-It, a division of Printpack, Inc., recently produced a family of four full-body shrink sleeves for AgroLabs, Inc.’s “Naturally” line of nutritional supplements. According to Seal-It, AgroLabs’ objectives included source reduction and a more sustainable package for its club store members.
Paul Pritchett, sales and marketing manager for Seal-It, says his company offers EarthFirst PLA film to its customers for shrink sleeve label applications and for tamper-evident bands. “This product provides an alternative to traditional petroleum-based shrink films,” he notes. “It’s made from plants, an annually renewable resource and it’s compostable. In addition, it is more stable than other shrink films and shrink initiates faster in the heat tunnel. This equates to less energy used as you can turn down your tunnels and run PLA product through at faster speeds.”
Pritchett touches on one of EarthFirst’s strong attributes. “The strength of EarthFirst is in its heat tolerance, especially when used with flexible packaging,” says Rich Eichfeld, VP of business development for Plastic Suppliers. “While some PLA materials can handle environmental conditions up to 104°F, EarthFirst is rated above 120°F. In terms of processing functionality, EarthFirst is rated above 140°F.”
A couple of these considerations you have undoubtedly heard of (if you haven’t, you probably couldn’t count yourself among the living). One is the general upward trend in oil costs, also known as skyrocketing oil prices. The other is sustainability, which is being driven by a growing consensus that we are simply consuming the earth’s resources too rapidly and leaving behind earth-damaging by-products.
Although petroleum-based materials will continue to dominate the packaging landscape for years to come, the use of film materials derived from other, more earth-friendly sources is becoming more common. A class of products coming to the forefront in people’s lives is bio-based in nature, derived from starches found in plants. These products include not only alternative fuels such as ethanol, but also packaging materials.
Several new package designs have been implemented in recent months using EarthFirst®, a film manufactured and supplied by Plastic Suppliers using NatureWorks LLC’s Ingeo™ polylactic acid (PLA) resin that is produced from plants. Seal-It, a division of Printpack, Inc., recently produced a family of four full-body shrink sleeves for AgroLabs, Inc.’s “Naturally” line of nutritional supplements. According to Seal-It, AgroLabs’ objectives included source reduction and a more sustainable package for its club store members.
Paul Pritchett, sales and marketing manager for Seal-It, says his company offers EarthFirst PLA film to its customers for shrink sleeve label applications and for tamper-evident bands. “This product provides an alternative to traditional petroleum-based shrink films,” he notes. “It’s made from plants, an annually renewable resource and it’s compostable. In addition, it is more stable than other shrink films and shrink initiates faster in the heat tunnel. This equates to less energy used as you can turn down your tunnels and run PLA product through at faster speeds.”
Pritchett touches on one of EarthFirst’s strong attributes. “The strength of EarthFirst is in its heat tolerance, especially when used with flexible packaging,” says Rich Eichfeld, VP of business development for Plastic Suppliers. “While some PLA materials can handle environmental conditions up to 104°F, EarthFirst is rated above 120°F. In terms of processing functionality, EarthFirst is rated above 140°F.”
Companies Mentioned:
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Go Green Profitably
Emerging Strategies: Green Printing and Sustainability
Best Practices for Print Automation
Competing for Print’s Thriving Future
Chemistry for the Graphic Arts
What the Printer Should Know About Paper
