Manufacturers of consumer goods, including absorbent products, wipes and other nonwovens-based goods, are increasingly coming under pressure to provide more sustainable packaging solutions. Makers of packaging materials and machinery systems are responding with the development of packaging materials made from paper, cellulose and other plastic-free products.

Last year, Belgian hygiene company Drylock Technologies introduced the first paper packaging for baby diapers. This world-class innovation, which is now at several European retailers, aims to meet the needs of both customers and consumers for more environmentally friendly packaging. This development was the result of a year of intensive research and development from Drylock and its packaging partners who developed the Paper Bag project. Together, these companies created a new type of packaging in the hygiene industry which is truly recyclable and biodegradable and at the same time is robust and protects the integrity of the Drylock baby care products inside.

“Every day is a battle, speed is important, which translates into the company’s aim and vision—to lead innovation in the market and to be the best and the fastest. Drylock’s innovation projects continually result in a better performance, comfort and well-being with minimal environmental impact,” says CEO Bart Van Malderen. “There is no better example of this than the new paper packaging which maintains the integrity of the product using fully sustainable materials. Through this and other innovative developments, while helping to overcome daily needs in consumers’ lives, Drylock, together with its customers, is working towards a better tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, within the wipes market, Nice-Pak has developed packaging material that is 100% recyclable to be improve the overall impact of its product. The materials, which was under development for 18 months, was initially introduced in the company’s Aqualette baby wipes brand.

“We believe that both customers and consumers alike deserve more choice in meeting their environmental aspirations,” says Peter Bushell, international packaging development manager. “The mono-polymer project has been technically challenging but we are proud to have achieved this U.K. first as part of our ongoing efforts to improve the environmental footprint of our products. We have strived to render this product ‘recycle ready’ to support the future development and harmonization of the recycling infrastructure.”

While efforts toward the development of more sustainable packaging solutions is being driven by consumer want—a Kantar survey found that 42% of respondents were interested in manufacturers making packaging recyclable—retailer mandates and government regulations are stronger forces.

U.S.-based retailer Walmart has a goal of achieving 100% recyclable, reusable or industrially compostable packaging for its private brands and to use at least 17% post-consumer recycled content globally in its private brand plastic packaging. The company is also taking action to eliminate problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging and move from single-use towards reuse models where relevant by 2025.

Meanwhile, legislation involving plastics like the single use plastics directive in the European Union, are demanding that companies look for alternative materials in all areas of consumers goods.

Producers of hygiene products and wipes have been scrutinized more closely than other companies in the face of these mandates because of the single-use nature of their products. Disposables are already under fire for their impact on landfills so manufacturers have been looking at all aspects of their supply chain to reduce waste.

“The pressure on these products is even higher to be at least ecologically acceptable with regard to plastic waste, waste in general, and CO2 balance,” says Kersten Zander of W+D.
“Reducing waste and avoiding plastic and other fuel-based raw materials is essential. At the same time, it is necessary to consider the entire supply chain and the overall lifecycle of the product. Home-composting biodegradability of the entire product and all its packaging materials (bag/carton and single-wrap material) would be the best solution while industrial biodegradability or recyclability are the second-best choice.”

Amotek
Amotek’s R&D efforts have always focused on the respect of the environment by controlling and improving energy performances of its machines as well as developing new sealing methods that allow to pack products in eco-friendly materials, guaranteeing an ethical and sustainable beauty of the packaging process.

Amotek’s energy saving path started a few years ago when the company decided to reduce the use of pneumatics in favor of electric actuators whose high-tech components are designed with the aim of reducing and reusing energy. Besides electricity, the company also focused on controlling compressed air whose costs are often underestimated.

Trials and data analysis made with suppliers allowed Amotek to optimize its systems obtaining a 30% reduction of air usage. While air is free, compressed air has a cost and Amotek has implemented all machines with an airflow switch to monitor the usage of air and prevent waste that could result in higher energy bills.

Thanks to this improvement, the working pressure of Amotek’s machines is reduced from six to five bars obtaining a 20% saving of compressed air.

Today an eco-friendly packaging conversion is possible on all Amotek baggers and complete packaging systems. Such flexibility guarantees a big advantage for the final customer who can replace PE partially or totally with a multitude of green materials, from bioplastic to paper, without applying any consistent modification on the existing equipment.

The nonwovens field is surely involved in all these developments as recently seen during the last INDEX show in Geneva, where Amotek introduced its brand new machine IS81 Performante, a dual concept system for baby diapers (open and pants) and other light incontinence products.

Going into details, a pre-made polyethylene bag with a material thickness of 30 micron has been used, thinner than market standards (range 40—70 micron) but equally resistant, with an interesting rate of raw material saving.

Paper bags can also be processed; in this case, the most critical aspects to overcome were the bag opening and the products’ insertion due to the fragility of paper compared to the elasticity of plastic. To minimize the risk of damage, size parts involved in this phase of the packaging process have been fine-tuned and dedicated tests have been executed to slightly adapt the working cycle of the machine.

Jabil Packaging Systems
Jabil Packaging Systems, a division of manufacturing solutions provider Jabil Inc., announced its reinvention of the wipes container. FusePack wipes packaging combine the most powerful features of multiple different packaging substrates, leveraging the best elements of rigid and flexible components. This lightweight but strong package is more sustainable and e-commerce-friendly than the legacy alternatives.

“Cleaning and sanitizing wipes have been steadily rising in popularity and since 2020, they’ve truly become a household staple,” says vice president of technology Ayana Johnson, Jabil Packaging Solutions. “While wipes have become an essential part of our lives, traditional wipes canisters are incredibly bulky, using an excessive amount of plastic while tending to lose moisture, causing decreased shelf life. As home delivery has taken off, we’ve seen traditional canisters struggle with the bumps, shocks and vibrations of shipping directly to consumers. These factors drove us to reinvent the wipes container with FusePack packaging.”

The FusePack wipes container meets pressing market challenges head-on, including:

• Wasteful packaging—FusePack wipes container is 30% smaller than comparable rigid plastic alternatives but holds the same amount of wipes; its strength also reduces the need for excessive secondary packaging
• Shipping and shelf space inefficiencies—FusePack wipes containers nested structure, 68% weight reduction over comparable rigid packs and reduced package footprint means efficient transit and more units per shelf
• Cracking/opening in the harsh transit conditions of e-commerce—the flexible yet strong pack can withstand the shocks, vibrations and temperature changes of ecommerce fulfillment
• Wipes that dry out—FusePack is hermetically sealed, extending shelf life and eliminating leaking

Mondi/Drylock
Mondi, a global leader in packaging and paper, has launched a new paper EcoWicketBag for Drylock Technologies’ baby diaper ranges, bringing sustainable paper-based packaging to the hygiene market globally.

The global hygiene products manufacturer approached Mondi to create a more sustainable alternative to its existing plastic diaper packaging that would travel well, have strong shelf-appeal, and protect the product—while also using renewable resources and significantly reducing its CO2 footprint.

“We approached Mondi because of their expertise in paper packaging and its extensive knowledge of the global hygiene market. Consumers are looking for more sustainable packaging that is kinder to the planet without compromising on the integrity of the product. With the EcoWicketBag, consumers can be confident of product quality and packaging sustainability,” says Werner Van Ingelgem, R&D director at Drylock Technologies.

An advantage of using paper-based solutions is the recyclability of paper and the fact that consumers are more likely to know how to dispose of it correctly. The EcoWicketBag can be placed in existing paper streams, even in countries with the strictest recycling regulations, thereby supporting the circular economy. An EcoWicketBag made of fully compostable materials is also available.

Mondi also ensured that EcoWicketBag fits with Drylock Technologies’ existing plant processes, meaning it is the first paper wicket bag range that can be filled and sealed on existing machines.

“We work closely with our clients using our customer-centric EcoSolutions approach to create packaging that is fit for purpose—using paper where possible, plastic when useful. With Drylock Technologies it was key to reduce the amount of plastic used, meet our customer’s sustainability targets and protect the products for consumers. By liaising closely and asking the right questions from the outset, we have been able to deliver on all of the above,” says Claudio Fedalto, chief operating officer Paper Bags, Mondi.

Optima Group
The Optima Group has developed a paper packaging for sanitary napkins in collaboration with a global consumer goods group. This is the first paper packaging to be used in this market segment, and it has received the German Packaging Award 2021.

Sustainability is a future-oriented issue. The way forward is being set today, and it requires interdisciplinary strategies. It is not always necessary to reinvent the wheel. The sustainable packaging solution that was co-developed at Optima is proof of this. “We are receiving more and more requests for the flexible processing of different packaging materials right from the outset,” reports Markus Urich, key account manager at Optima Nonwovens.

In a project concerned with the packaging of feminine hygiene products, fully recyclable paper was used as packaging material for the first time in the world. This case demonstrated that paper with reduced printing and without any plastic coating for hygiene products can definitely be an alternative to plastic.

The packaging will soon be available in retail outlets everywhere and has even received the German Packaging Award 2021. The jury comments: “Paper is not always an appropriate substitute for plastic when it comes to FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) packaging. Here, paper is a sustainable alternative that can easily be recycled.”

The development partnership with Voith Paper gives Optima the ideal conditions to develop other packaging for products for which paper packaging previously seemed unthinkable. “Whether paper, film or other packaging materials—it is essential to integrate product protection, sustainability and marketing successfully with one another,” says Dominik Broellochs, group sustainability manager at Optima.

There is no one right packaging material, it always depends on the application. Design for recycling of course applies to all packaging and materials. The machine technologies required for this are available at Optima. This ensures the new packaging solutions have a successful future. 

W+D BICMA
To provide its customers with a greener packaging option, W+D and BICMA have developed Green Manta, which replaces PE individual packaging in sanitary napkin or a light incontinence products with a neat, flat paper bag, similar to an envelope, to avoid plastic. The new Green Manta module brings together W+D‘s Mail Solutions and BICMA’s Hygiene Solutions technology to create an environmentally friendly and efficient individual wrapping made of paper. The environmental benefit is high. For sanitary napkins, the new concept saves about 25 million square meters of plastic film in the course of one year—corresponding to an area of almost 3,500 soccer fields.

This type of packaging is suitable for panty shields, sanitary napkins and products for light incontinence. W+D BICMA offers this concept for its own production lines and as retrofits for existing machines of all brands.

“The transition from today’s standard products to new solutions with sustainable materials and new creative packaging solutions needs time,” Zander says. “In the beginning, manufacturers might not be sure about market acceptance and production volumes for the new product types. As a machine might not be fully loaded with production volumes of the new products in the beginning, interim solutions to run both the old and the new versions need to be found.”

For manufacturers with multiple production lines, the choice is easy—they may convert one line to the new product concept and keep the other ones for the old style. In the event of only one production line however, it is more challenging as the old and the new concept need to be integrated. W+D BICMA Hygiene Solutions is an expert in finding smart solutions for such machine upgrades and the interest of its customers is quite high.