Suedpack leads in sustainability with new offerings, progress benchmarks

Photo courtesy of Suedpack

MULTIPEEL — Suedpack recently released Multipeel, an ideal packaging concept for sliced cheese which features a reclose system that prevents products from drying out prematurely, ensuring the retention of freshness, flavor and an appetizing appearance.

Photo courtesy of Suedpack

PURE-LINE — PurePP and PurePE offerings in Suedpack's Pure-Line provide customers with a robust product family to replace conventional, non-recyclable packaging concepts.

OAK CREEK, Wis. — Suedpack, a Germany-based packaging solutions provider with U.S. headquarters in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, continues to lead in sustainability efforts.

The company recently released its fifth Sustainability Report as well as new offerings to help meet cheese manufacturers’ packaging needs with environmental consciousness in mind.

• Sustainable offerings

Suedpack recently released Multipeel, an ideal packaging concept for sliced cheese or cold meats which features a reclose system that prevents products from drying out prematurely, ensuring the retention of freshness, flavor and an appetizing appearance.

“Our system is clearly superior to other technical solutions regarding material efficiency, costs and line performance. Snap-on lids are considered less sustainable due to the significant material requirements of the heavy lid solution,” says Robert Taylor, sales manager at Suedpack Oak Creek.

The practice-proven high-performance films from Suedpack make Multipeel packages easy to open and securely reclose thanks to the integrated Multipeel function, according to Taylor. In a Multipeel pack, sliced cheese loses much less moisture and weight after being opened for the first time compared to packaging without a reclose system.

“This means the cheese stays fresh and appetizing right down to the very last slice, and nothing has to be prematurely thrown away,” he says. “Remarkably, even with a comparable film thickness, the solution has a carbon footprint almost identical to that of packages without a reclose system. As a result, Multipeel packs contribute to a more positive eco-balance for cheese — a product with a fairly high carbon footprint compared to other foods.”

Taylor notes the Multipeel top web product family includes both conventional material composites as well as recyclable structures based on polypropylene.

When combined with suitable bottom webs, they result in recyclable packaging solutions with an optimal reclose function, guaranteeing maximum packaging reliability and efficiency, he adds.

Depending on the specific product and its requirements, the Multipeel films are available with different barrier functions to ensure optimal product protection and mechanical properties such as bulk packaging that is frequently opened and closed. Regardless of the specific Multipeel product used, both the conventional and recyclable films can be easily processed on standard machines. Thanks to the established, practice-proven Suedpack reclose system, they offer high process reliability and product safety with optimal production output. Fundamentally, the structures are very material-efficient, Taylor says.

“For almost 20 years, Suedpack has been a symbol of experience and quality in reclosable films. As one of the first suppliers on the market, we focused on developing sustainable concepts in this product segment, enabling us to now implement fully sustainable packaging solutions,” he adds.

Suedpack also recently introduced Pure-Line, innovative material structures that set new standards in functionality, processing capability and, above all, sustainability.

PurePP and PurePE provide Suedpack customers with a robust product family to replace conventional, non-recyclable packaging concepts. The film manufacturer assists both national and international clients in meeting recyclability requirements.

Pure-Line films boast maximum performance and sufficient stability for optimal point-of-sale presentation — with minimal material input. These high-performance top webs are extremely thin and already available from Suedpack in a range of film widths. Depending on the products to be packaged, these modern material structures can be flexibly equipped with various mechanical and functional properties to ensure optimal product protection and extended shelf life. These properties range from puncture resistance and peelability to high transparency to a high oxygen barrier.

The significantly lower weight of the packaging compared to other concepts not only saves resources, but also has a positive impact on cost and overall carbon footprint, according to the company.

“The replacement of many conventional packaging materials, especially by PP and PE, has an additional ecological effect due to the lower CO2 equivalents of polypropylene,” Taylor says.

Additionally, Pure-Line films can be processed on all standard thermoforming packaging machines, typically requiring only minor adjustments. High cycle rates in continuous operation also are achievable.

• Sustainability report

As one of the leading manufacturers of high-performance films and packaging solutions for the food, non-food, medical device and pharmaceutical industries, as well as customer-specific compounds for technically demanding applications, Suedpack is committed to making its processes and products as sustainable as possible.

Recently, in Germany, Suedpack achieved the top rating in the “Packaging Manufacturer” category in a two-stage web monitoring process between 2022 and 2024 conducted by ServiceValue GmbH and the F.A.Z. Institute. Suedpack achieved a score of 100 points among 5,500 German companies analyzed across 38 industries.

Since 2016, Suedpack regularly has documented its progress on its path to becoming a more sustainable company. As it works resolutely in its pursuit of sustainability leadership in the packaging industry, the film manufacturer is concentrating on the environment, economy and social areas of action. The company invests in recycling technologies, climate protection, modern production facilities and the development of sustainable packaging solutions.

In the latest edition of its Sustainability Report, Suedpack describes its exemplary achievements in the three areas of action since the last report was published. A new aspect is the expanded scope of reporting, which adds insights from its locations in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, Suedpack Grootegast in the Netherlands and Suedpack Medica in France. All sites in the group of consolidated companies now are included.

“Today, sustainability is firmly established in all areas and on all levels of our organization. The steadily increasing number of initiatives shows that sustainability is embraced in the entire company and that the goal of sustainability leadership is consistently pursued,” says Carlo Remmele, chief executive of Suedpack Oak Creek.

Suedpack states that its ultimate goal is the responsible use of raw materials and recyclables, reducing the consumption of fossil resources and optimizing the carbon footprint along its entire supply chain.

“Carbon as a resource must be kept in a loop and existing plastic waste converted into new, high-quality products” is the film manufacturer’s guiding principle, officials say.

Suedpack therefore not only continues to invest in new production facilities for recyclable and material-reduced products, but also in the expansion of capacities and technologies for compounding, regranulation and chemical recycling. By 2030, the company’s product portfolio is to consist 100% of recyclable films and material structures with at least 10% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content.

To ensure that Suedpack products truly earn the “sustainable” label, the film specialists offer a life-cycle assessment service, EcoTrace, to holistically evaluate the eco-balance of products along the entire supply chain.

Significant progress also has been made in waste management on the path to zero waste, the company notes. Between 2021 and 2023, Suedpack reduced its waste by 11% and chemically recycled more than 120 tons of internal plastic waste.

As part of its 2030 Sustainability Strategy, Suedpack has consolidated an extensive series of measures and initiatives focused on achieving net zero. In scope 1 and 2, 84% of the targets related to direct greenhouse gas emissions have already been reached. In scope 3, 62% of the targets for indirect emissions in the “purchased goods and services” category have been achieved. Officials say efforts will be further enhanced in both segments.

Suedpack also has been SBTi-validated (meaning that the company’s emission reduction targets have been independently validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative) since April and is one of the few manufacturers of flexible films to have done so. Officials note that the adopted targets to reduce the carbon footprint, a sustainability ranking and a certified reporting system are helpful guiding principles and tools on the path to becoming a true net zero business.

Meanwhile, the company already is on the home stretch when it comes to renewable energy. The use of the company’s own photovoltaic systems and the purchasing of green electricity means that all German production sites already run 100% on green electricity. Across the entire company group, the percentage of renewable energy currently stands at 46%.

For more information on the company’s sustainability initiatives, visit www.suedpack.com/en/sustainability.

CMN

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