ITP - Industria Termoplastica Pavese SpA | Best Packaging 2024

FreezyPeel

What is it. Innovative peelable film for making easy-open bags for frozen food packaging. Designed and produced by ITP, it represents a combination of convenience, safety and sustainability, offering a new perspective in the food packaging sector.

Accessibility focus. The aim of ITP researchers, as consumers themselves, was to create a package that retained all the traditional prerogatives of frozen food bags, but with the innovation of easy opening. Specifically, in the most intuitive and natural way we can all think of: pulling the two flaps in opposite directions near the top seal, as in potato chip packets. No pre-cutting, no zipper, no mechanical interlocking closure mechanism, but an accurate modulation of the opening force of the horizontal weld for optimal accessibility to the contents.

Manufacturing material. FreezyPeel is a coextruded monomaterial film, consisting only of polyethylene, therefore recyclable. The unique and innovative formulation provides the necessary resistance to low temperatures (-20°C) and a surface gloss that enhances printed images. TECHNOLOGY The film is obtained by coextrusion through bubble blowing and is flexo printed. The combination of polyethylenes of different densities and characteristics makes it possible to balance the right stiffness and puncture resistance (conflicting characteristics), maintains good mechanical properties even at low temperatures, and a surface gloss that enhances any printed images. The formulation of the sealing layer of the envelope (easy or pen) is the innovative aspect, because it allows easy access to the contents without the use of scissors, knives, without too much effort in tearing the envelope, and without removal of edges (e.g. case that occurs with pre-cutting), because the FreezyPeel bag is opened by simply pulling the two flaps from opposite sides.

Product and potential markets. Frozen foods.

Design. FreezyPeel film is presented in white colour with a 60 micron thickness, but it is also available transparent and in different thicknesses depending on the weight of the content to be packed.

Sustainability. Being made entirely of polyethylene, the film is actually a recyclable mono-material. The packaging of frozen products with flexible film represents a solution of proven practicality, safety and sustainability. A few grams of polyethylene in the form of a bag, in fact, guarantee the integrity of the package containing 1 to 2 kg of frozen product. The bag takes up little space, is lightweight and durable, it’s printable and perfectly recyclable. Finally, significantly extends foods shelf life, thus counteracting food waste.