Flexible Pouch: innovation is green

Volpak (part of the Coesia Group) inaugurates a "PouchLAB" at its headquarters in Barcelona, a R&D center to support customers and partners in the development of sustainable solutions. And it offers the market a technological upgrade to produce  100% recyclable paper pouches.

In the consumer goods sector, low environmental impact packaging solutions are becoming increasingly important on the world market, with the support of international regulations that guide consumers and producers in this direction.

Among the segments in constant expansion, due to its nature, flexible packaging guarantees sustainability advantages, which consist, first of all, in containing the weight and volume of the packaging. However, to ensure greater eco-compatibility of flexible packaging, manufacturers are constantly engaged in research and development, aimed at aboveall improving aspects related to recyclability.

More sustainable pouches, thanks to a dedicated Lab
To offer a concrete contribution to the evolution of this trend, last May Volpak inaugurated the "PouchLAB", a special area within its headquarters in Barcelona, dedicated to the research and development of innovative and sustainable solutions, which hosts a state-of-the-art pouch forming machine, based on FFS technology, and complete testing equipment. Different industry players can take advantage of this area to analyze their material, make pouches and test the quality of different products, all in a controlled environment and with Volpak’s technical expertise.

In fact, Volpak’s expertise comes from its long-standing experience in the field of pouch processing and packaging, expressing a unique know-how in such fields as new material applications and energy saving processeses. The PouchLAB will therefore help Volpak’s customers and converter partners both in developing new solutions and exploring new sustainable materials for their packaging, connecting the know-how and expertise of all the players in the flexible pouching industry.

Recyclable paper pouches: a new technology, also in retrofit 
Volpak is further supporting the reduction of carbon footprint with the development of a brand new packaging technology, allowing customers to produce flexible pouches made of 100% recyclable paper. The new technology by Volpak is the first of its kind, pioneering a market shift towards flexible pouching solutions that are also ecological. With some types of plastics soon to be banned in certain countries, the new Volpak equipment also responds to a growing urgency among companies worldwide to adopt paper-based, or other types of recyclable material, for their packaging.

The new system is available on new machines, with the option of installing it on existing Volpak machines as an upgrade. The retrofit offers overall improved sealing sequence and equipment, including a variety of format options for the pouch design. Thanks to the modification, the machine converts the existing production line into a fully recyclable one.