European packaging company Coveris has teamed up with food packaging producer Cranswick and material supplier UPM Raflatac to deliver a new range of label and recycling products in the cooked meat category.
The partnership sees Cranswick Convenience Foods division switch from a PET release liner – a critical component of the label application process – to a new fibre-based UPM Raflatac RAFNXT+ material, which is then returned to Coveris for recycling.
The carbon reduction forms part of Cranswick’s Second Nature roadmap to achieve Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions across owned operations by 2040. Currently used in the application of all base labels for a leading UK retailer’s cooked meats range, the new material will be used across more than 175 million packs to support sustainable targets, including Cranswick’s own carbon agenda, and Coveris’ sustainability vision of ‘No Waste’.
Delivering a weight saving of around 12% per label, the new liner material will remove over 35 tonnes of plastic PET from the supply-chain annually, replacing this with a lighter weight label, recyclable liner and more sustainable alternative.
The new material and recycling process together support a CO2e (equivalent) saving of 20%, reduced water consumption of 1.8 million litres, and a 6% energy saving – the equivalent to powering a typical household for 39 years.
Will Mercer, Coveris’ R&D director for paper, said, ‘Once again we have demonstrated that by working in partnership with the wider supply-chain, small changes can deliver huge environmental impact. Having seamlessly delivered a reduced carbon solution through our leading partnership with UPM Raflatac and Cranswick Convenience Foods, we hope that other manufacturers recognise the major sustainable impact they can make through better label material choices and recycling options.’
