Innovia films&rsquo high barrier compostable material, natureflex&trade nk, has been selected by a dutch company, amigos international, to wrap its new range of dark, fair trade, organic chocolate from ecuador ananda.available in five mouthwatering flavours with a minimum of 70 cocoa content, ananda, means &lsquoecstasy&rsquo in sanskrit and pali and is a popular buddhist name. Eating regular small amounts of dark chocolate can benefit your health due to its happinessproducing particles, socalled &lsquoanandamides&rsquo.amigos international believes in fair trade principles and works closely with farmers, processors, exporters and researchers in developing countries, such as ecuador, to generate local employment. Through speciality stores, wholesalers and direct online, the company sells exotic tea, coffee and chocolate, which is organically produced and ecologically packaged.jeroen kruft, the owner of amigos international, stated that, &ldquoamigos international is a longtime distributor of organic products. We appreciate not only the ecological aspects of the ingredients, but were also looking at packaging to complement this. That is why we started to look at more environmentally friendly options, which led us to innovia films and natureflex&trade.&rdquonatureflex&trade nk was launched in 2008 and offers not only biodegradability and compostability, but also a moisture barrier approaching that of coextruded opp. This means it has the best moisture barrier of any biopolymer film currently available, which has been achieved through innovia films&rsquo unique coating technology. Another advantage in using natureflex&trade nk film is the increased shelf life it can give the product, keeping it in tiptop condition for longer. Packaging knowhow advised amigos international on choice of film and hapece flexible packaging, a specialist in small runs, converted and printed the natureflex&trade nk in this application.natureflex&trade begins life as a natural product &ndash wood and breaks down at the end of its lifecycle in a home compost bin or industrial compost environment within a matter of weeks. It also offers advantages for packing and converting such as inherent deadfold and antistatic properties, high gloss and transparency, resistance to grease and oil, good barrier to gases and aromas, print receptive surface and wide heatseal range. &ldquosupplying amigos international with natureflex&trade nk to package their ananda chocolate is a winwinwin situation, as the transparent film offers high barrier, increases product shelf life and is certified compostable. The natureflex&trade range continues to develop fast, driven by both consumer demand for greener alternatives more sustainable packaging , and by niche companies like amigos international and large brand owners alike who see the differentiation and environmental benefits,&rdquo enthused alexander van &rsquot riet, innovia films&rsquo global sales & marketing director.natureflex&trade films are certified to meet both the european en13432 and american astm d6400 standards for compostable packaging. The woodpulp is sourced from managed plantations from referenced suppliers operating good forestry principals fsc or equivalent. Natureflex&trade films typically have a renewable biobased content of some 95 by weight of material.
