A packaging trial for Spar Austria meat products has reduced plastics use by 70 per cent by weight compared with its previous tray-and-lid format.
Spar worked with Sealed Air-owned packaging and systems provider, Cryovac, on the pilot at the retailer’s Tann facility in Marchtrenk, Austria, replacing the existing packaging with a flow-pack solution based on Cryovac’s MonoPP Flowpack format.
According to the companies, the change could save around 14 tonnes of plastics each year. They also reported an approximately 70 per cent reduction in associated carbon dioxide emissions.
The companies said the new packaging delivers the same barrier performance and shelf-life as the previous format.
Cryovac added that the packaging has been certified as recyclable by the Cyclos-HTP Institute and is compatible with existing recycling systems in countries that have established PP recycling streams.
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During the trial, output reached 44 packs per minute, according to the companies, with no increase in waste or reject rates. They said the switch would also reduce warehouse requirements by 176 pallets per year.
Further testing is underway as Spar Austria and Cryovac assess the potential for the packaging format to be introduced at additional Tann facilities and Spar sites across Europe.
Markus Zavec, sales director for Austria, Germany and Switzerland at Sealed Air, said: “Spar Austria’s conventional tray-and-lid system was linked to escalating costs, including environmental, operational, and financial.
“The packaging consumed substantial material, required intense warehouse operations, and complicated recycling pathways. The pilot was a decisive and early move to address these challenges.
“In addition to reducing packaging material usage and carbon dioxide emissions, Cryovac’s MonoPP Flowpack has also delivered wider brand benefits for Spar Austria. Two-thirds of shoppers responded positively, appreciating the product visibility and ease of opening delivered by Sealed Air’s packaging solution.”
