BioPE food pack enters the market

Grounded Packaging has launched a recyclable and carbon-negative sugarcane-based flexible pouch, which according to the company offers food manufacturers the same high-barrier functionality as plastic.

The packaging is made from BioPE, which uses up to 80 per cent less fossil fuels to manufacture than traditional plastic. The finished pack is printed with non-toxic inks, and can be recycled in both dedicated PE recycling and general soft plastic streams, the company says.

According to Ben Grant, co-founder of end-to-end packaging specialist Grounded, packaging is vital in preventing food wastage and prolonging shelf life, but plastic has cultivated a ‘take, make, dispose’ model that the industry has been tied to for a long time. 

“And when there are no viable alternatives, businesses have no choice but to keep packaging their goods in plastic,” Grant says.

“From day one, our mission has been to reduce plastics and virgin materials within the packaging industry, providing greater transparency and better alternatives for our customers. 

“Creating a highly-functional sugarcane-based packaging for the unique needs of the food industry means doing the right thing has just become possible for thousands of manufacturers.”

With the launch of the new packaging, Grounded says it aims to support the food industry in moving towards a more sustainable and circular model, in which packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable.