HARTSVILLE, S.C. — Leading European thermoforming packaging specialist Waddington® Europe, a division of Novolex®, has introduced an innovative recyclable tray for meat, fish and poultry products.
The container, called Piranha™, is sealed using a series of raised teeth that run around the sealing flange instead of applying a layer of polyethylene or adhesive, which are typically used to seal the lid of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). The raised teeth maintain the seal’s integrity even if the flange becomes contaminated by animal fat, which can interfere with closure on traditional packaging for meat, fish and poultry (MFP) products.
With Piranha, greasy contaminants are forced into the channels between the raised teeth, leaving the peaks clear and clean to contact the PET top web. Under the same sealing temperatures and dwell time, the top web adheres to the peaks, creating the seal despite the presence of contaminants. During filling-line trials of Piranha, the problem of burst seals due to grease contamination on mono-rPET sealing was cut to almost zero.
As a mono-material package, the tray is capable of being fully recycled. Piranha can also be made with up to 100% recycled PET (rPET) and is Plastic Tax compliant in the U.K.
“We are always trying to find innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint and promote circularity, as well as help our customers and their consumers do the same,” said Eduardo Gomes, Managing Director of Waddington Europe. “Our packaging development team has really hit the mark with Piranha, enabling us to optimise the use of recycled content and provide a product that’s capable of being easily recycled back into food-grade rPET.”
To learn more about Waddington Europe and its packaging solutions, visit www.waddingtoneurope.com.
About Waddington Europe
Waddington® Europe is the European thermoforming division of Novolex®, a leading manufacturer of paper and plastic packaging and food service products. With three production sites in Milton Keynes and Bridgewater in the UK, Arklow, IR and Eco-Products and Eureka Caterware sales offices in Holland, the vertically integrated business supplies the food industry with in-house sheet extrusion capabilities coupled with product innovation, design and sampling experts.
About Novolex®
Novolex develops and manufactures diverse packaging products for multiple industries in the foodservice, delivery and carryout, food processing and industrial markets that touch nearly every aspect of daily life. The Novolex family of brands provides customers with innovative food and delivery packaging and performance solutions products for their business needs today while investing in research and development to engineer more sustainable choices for the future. With more than 10,000 employee families, Novolex operates 57 manufacturing facilities in North America and Europe, including two world-class plastic film recycling centers. To learn more about Novolex, visit www.Novolex.com.
