In addition to Laîta’s strong commitment to responsible solutions, regulations such as the AGEC in France, banning single-use plastics to promote a circular economy, and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation in the EU, are pushing brand owners to switch to recyclable mono-materials. Regularly conducted marketing studies done by Laîta also confirms that reducing the use of single-use plastic packaging is increasingly important for customers.
“We were looking for a supplier who was able to improve our current paper film secondary packaging solution for our Paysan Breton pancakes. We wanted to make a mono-material that was easier to recycle while not compromising on the technical and mechanical properties of our current packaging,” says Mathieu Boulc’h, packaging development & procurement manager EVEN / LAITA at Laïta, one of the leading dairy cooperatives in Western France.
The Paysan Breton pancakes are individually packed and come in a bundle of six. The role of the secondary packaging is to make the products visually appealing without compromising the needed functional properties such as sturdiness and sealability features. As the pancakes are individually packed and hence already protect the food content, the demands on the barrier properties for the secondary packaging are less strict. This allows for a paper-based material, which is fully recyclable in the well-established paper stream.
“You need to find the right balance between paper quality, one that offers an excellent print finishing and the right packaging performance, but is not too thick which might compromise runnability. Making the switch from a paper/plastic complex to paper should not compromise productivity per minute as production efficiency is of course essential,” says Marie Barge, business development manager at Walki.
Walki and Laîta worked together for two years to find the optimal solution.
“The project went very well and Walki met all our needs and expectations. We had a very open dialogue throughout the project and were able to resolve every challenge we faced during the process,” says Boulc’h.
