The new range of label and recycling solutions is expected to reduce the carbon impact of the packaging and offer environmental benefits in the cooked meat category
Coveris and UPM Raflatac to create label and recycling solutions for Cranswick. (Credit: Coveris)
Coveris has partnered with food packaging solutions producer and material supplier UPM Raflatac to deliver a range of label and recycling solutions for UK-based food producer and supplier Cranswick.
The new fibre-based solutions will be introduced in cooked meat category of Cranswick’s Convenience Foods division to help in reducing carbon impact of the packaging and offer other environmental benefits.
The division will shift from an existing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) release liner to UPM Raflatac RAFNXT+ material. This material will be sent back to Coveris for recycling.
The move comes as Coveris seeks to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across owned operations by 2040 through its Second Nature roadmap.
Coveris said that the latest material will be used in more than 175 million packs to support sustainability including Cranswick’s goal.
The new liner material, which offers a weight reduction of about 12% per label, will replace roughly 35 tonnes of plastic PET in the supply chain each year with an environmentally friendly label.
The new material and recycling process will also cut CO2 emissions by 20% and will save energy by 6%.
Additionally, the recycled liner will be returned and recycled by Coveris at its Environmental Services facility in Boston, Lincolnshire, through its partnership with UPM Raflatac’s RafCycle recycling service.
Coveris Paper R&D director Will Mercer 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.”
Last month, Coveris announced an investment of £1.5m to enhance its linerless label manufacturing capacity at its facility in Spalding, Lincolnshire, UK.