Issue 02/2019

Thermoforming / Rigid Packaging
Fresh salads have a new
compostable ally
The new range of certified compostable salad bowls
from Sirap is called MQ Bio. This product is part of the
new Earth’s ® range, with which the company proposes
to respond to the ever-increasing demand for biobased and
compostable packaging, in line with the Group’s newly formulated
strategic approach. This approach has led Sirap
to actively invest in sustainable solutions across the line:
in cutting-edge production products and processes, in the
optimization of the supply chain, and in its choice of reliable
and sustainable partners. This was also how the partnership
with Novamont, an Italian company for whom sustainable
development is a priority, started. Novamont is now a
crucial Sirap partner for the development of bio packaging.
The new line of bio containers is targeted at the market
of pre-packaged, ready-to-eat salads, one of the fastest
growing segments in recent years. A 2018 Nielsen Trade
study in Italy revealed that sales of packaged fruit and
vegetables in “ready to use” portions increased by 4.6 % in
2018, confirming the growth trend of the last period. This
trend is further evidenced by recent innovations seen in
retail throughout Europe, where the space dedicated to the
display of fruit and vegetables has expanded, favouring the
inclusion of longer and better lit display counters and display
cases. A marked amount of attention is devoted to creating
beautiful fruit and vegetable displays, designed to tempt
today’s critical consumers who are showing themselves
to be increasingly sensitive to the aesthetic and functional
aspects of the products. The registered design of the new
organic MQ packaging, ensures maximum practicality,
allowing multiple level exposures thanks to its stackability.
The bases of the salad bowl are also made of Mater-Bi ® ,
a family of biodegradable and compostable bioplastics
created by Novamont that are compliant to the EN 13432
standard.
One aspect to which Sirap has given special attention to is
that of colour. The salad bowels are available in the standard
colours of white and green, because of the association with
cleanliness and nature, but thanks to a complete range of
certified compostable masterbatches they can be produced
in customized colours on request. Mater-bi has an
unprecedented surface finish, which gives the salad bowl a
pleasant smoothness and a matte effect that is reminiscent
of a natural surface. The Mater-Bi grade used for this range
of products has very good gas barrier properties (O 2
, CO 2
),
which opens the door for new developments in the area of
modified atmosphere packaging (MAP applications).
The lids, on the other hand, are made of PLA, also
a biodegradable bioplastic produced from renewable
sources. PLA has very good mechanical properties, making
it possible to reduce the thickness and, therefore, material
consumption as well. The crystal-clear transparency allows
consumers to see the contents and assess the freshness of
the product . Practical tabs on the corners of bases and lids
make the salad bowl easy to open.
The versions with Mater-Bi bases and PLA lids, or the
completely transparent PLA version are available in the
range.
Achieving the right balance between the technical
characteristics of the product, the ability to protect the
food and the compostability of the packaging has only
been possible thanks to an important multidisciplinary
effort in ecodesign that involved the design, extrusion
and thermoforming phases. Indeed, the most challenging
element for compostable materials is aligning product
performance with the requirements for compostability
certification, as stated by the EN13432 European Regulation.
The whole salad bowl, available in 500 ml, 1000 ml and
1500 ml sizes, has obtained the CIC (Consorzio Italiano
Compostatori / Consortium of Italian Composters)
compostability certification. The images show the progress
of the product disintegration test performed in a real
industrial composting plant according to the criteria of the
EN13432 standard.
16 bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/19] Vol. 14