Sustainability is one of the key trends shaping the packaging market. As consumers are becoming more aware of the impact of plastic packaging on the environment, food manufacturers are addressing environmental concerns by using alternative solutions.   

Paper packaging is widely recognized to be more sustainable than plastic, and is already often used to pack flour, sugar, grains, powders or other dry products. Until recently, the production of the mono-material paper used in such packaging was only possible with glued pre-made bags or formed paper bags on mandrel wheel technology. That is, until Bosch Packaging Technology and BillerudKorsnäs developed the world´s first Sealed Paper Packaging available on both mandrel wheel and vertical form, fill and seal (VFSS) machines. 

Together, BillerudKorsnäs and Bosch Packaging Technology leveraged their expertise to optimize the mechanical properties of the paper so it could be run on mandrel wheel or vertical machines – resulting in a new and improved paper bag for powders. Most noticeably for consumers – and manufacturers – this new paper bag has particularly tight seals, keeping even the finest powder products safely inside. For manufacturers, this mean less product waste, lowering production costs while consumers no longer need to worry about flour, sugar or pasta spilling out of the bag during transport or at home in their cupboard.

First option offers the combination of the robust mandrel-wheel concept with the ZAP-Module allowing to produce tightly sealed paper bags particularly suitable for flour and sugar. The second , truly revolutionary concept, allows the paper packaging to be handled on the first VFFS machine with the ZAP-Module, based on the proven SVE machine concept from Bosch. It would not have been implemented without the collaborative effort of both companies. The module allows coating with the sealing agent on a minimal surface area, preserving the paper’s mono-material character. It combines this technology with the Axello®ZAP paper from BillerudKorsnäs.

Compared to conventional paper, Axello®ZAP is substantially more durable, allowing to pack even challenging products such as pointy Penne pasta. Resistant to wear and tear, it retains its natural paper characteristics and advantages from source to recycling. It was developed for this application to allow for processing mono-material paper on VFFS technology with dust-tight sealing and has an up to 65% smaller carbon foot print than comparable pre-made paper bags.

Additionally, the innovative packaging enables producers to benefit from a larger pack style variety than those that conventional paper packaging offers. Mandrel wheel machine combined with the Zap-Module offers the outstanding shape of the block bottom bag, with a gable or flat top, thanks to double bottom-pressing which helps in forming a hard, brick-like bag.

The VFFS concept, more flexible regarding formats and pack styles and thus popular on the market, produces pillow, gusseted and block bottom bags with different packaging materials (both Axello®ZAP mono-material paper and heat-sealable laminates). These pack styles are ideal for free-flowing goods that do not require a barrier such as sugar, flour or other fine powders. It is also well suited for slightly larger products, such as grains or pasta.

The larger variety of pack styles means that food manufacturers have more opportunities to choose the right combination that protects their brand while standing out on the shelf. Whereas powder products mostly came in similar pack styles in the past, the future of these products looks more promising, giving food manufacturers more options to align their packaging with their brand positioning. The innovative material itself has a unique finish and distinguishes it from conventional paper packaging.

By combining the sustainable paper packaging material Axello®ZAP from BillerudKorsnäs with the benefits of Bosch’s packaging technology, manufacturers can thus enhance consumer experience. Bosch’s proven machine design is also user-friendly, simplifying operations, and the vertical machine design makes the most of available floorspace.

In the end, food manufacturers can save on production costs while preserving natural resources - a win-win situation for manufacturers, consumers and the planet.

If you are interested in learning more, please visit the dedicated website www.sealedpaperpackaging.com or claim your free exclusive slot to speak to the experts one-on-one by emailing sealedpaperpackaging@bosch.com mentioning that you heard about this opportunity through “Inside Packaging – Sustainability 2018”.