Film manufacturer Südpack will present its product and service portfolio at Fachpack 2024 in Hall 4 at Stand 220. Visitors can find out among other things about the innovative concepts of Pure-Line products, which combine high recyclability and material efficiency with optimal product quality and safety. Pure-Line offers films for thermoformed packagings, trays and pouches suitable for packaging a wide range of foods.

New products from Südpack

Apart from packaging solutions for fresh foods, the company offers a PP-based concept for packaging coffee in stand-up pouches as a substitute for the usual PET/aluminum composites. “According to our internal LCA calculations, that reduces the carbon footprint of a coffee package by more than 30%,” said Valeska Haux, vice president, strategic marketing & sustainability at Südpack. Further advantages are the high material efficiency due to reduced density, optimal barrier properties thanks to the excellent water vapor barrier provided by PP, and outstanding ease of processing, which is down to the thermal resistance.

The innovations at the stand also include the (Multi-)Peel PET floatable solution. Thanks to its low density, the floatable top web can be separated during recycling from PET trays, producing a clean recycled material flow.

The Multifol Extreme stands out for a low material input. The high-performance flexible film from Südpack is up to 30% thinner than other, conventional PA/PE structures. Thanks to exceptional sealing performance even when contaminated with oil or fat as well as high puncture resistance, Multifol Extreme films are ideal for securely packaging greasy, protein-rich products and frozen food in MAP and vacuum packagings.

For producers of nuts, sweet and savory snacks, as well as spices, coffee, and tea, Südpack also offers a sustainable solution: PP and PE-based, recyclable monomaterials for manufacturing stand-up pouches with or without reclose systems are a sustainable alternative to conventional film structures. For producers and packagers of liquid or pasty foods such as fruit purees, pouches can also be fitted with spouts. Together with the cooperation partners SN Maschinenbau and MENSHEN, Südpack offers an overall concept for easy and reliable in-house production of spouted pouches.

New services from Südpack

Introduced in late 2023, the new LCA tool EcoTrace has become an essential component in assessing the eco-balance of packaging solutions. Using this tool, Südpack analyzes the environmental impact over the entire life cycle of its own products as well as customer concepts. This enables fact-based decisions that take into account not only greenhouse gases (CO2e), but also other factors such as fossil resource consumption and environmental and human toxicity.

For certain product groups, Südpack also achieves ISO 14040/44 certifications for its LCAs, e.g. for its Flow Pack PurePP films. Part of the Südpack Pure-Line portfolio, these films are flexible composites used for manufacturing flow packs for multiple applications. The films consist of PP with a small share of barrier polymer. Due to their single-material structure, the cyclos-HTP institute assesses their recyclability rate as 92%. For the certification, the testers took into account various scenarios, e.g. the recyclate share in material use, and different end-of-life options.
New business models from Südpack

The management at the company headquarters in Ochsenhausen see the transformation in the plastics and packaging industry as an opportunity rather than a challenge. With its expertise, bold vision, top technology, and high investment power, the film manufacturer has the drive to achieve its goal “Leadership in Sustainability” – which was defined in the Corporate Strategy 2030. And Südpack is also actively driving the transformation process. Apart from the early development of sustainable production lines, the company is also currently the only supplier in the industry that has succeeded in opening up new prospects in chemical recycling with a novel process. The company’s goal is to future-proof its own operations with circular business models and to offer stakeholders real added value.

What’s more, the acquisition of a majority share in carboliq ensures access to a key technology that Südpack is further developing as a priority. Therefore, a major focus at the Fachpack will be on gaining new partners for joint projects. Already, after successful pilot projects in recent months, inquiries from customers are noticeably increasing. Valeska Haux: “I’m confident that in Nuremberg we’ll be able to discuss various options for cooperation with many potential partners. With carboliq, we can transform plastic waste by direct liquida-tion in a single-stage process into a mineral oil substitute. That saves fossil resources.” The liquid resource gained is suitable for the production of new, high-performance films for packaging sensitive products that require exacting standards of quality and hygiene. This is a major milestone on the way to a packaging that is fully recyclable in a circular economy.