Sustainability

January 1, 2022

HOW THE RIGHT PACKAGING CAN HELP YOU MEET YOUR SUSTAINABILITY OBJECTIVES

Concern for the environment is becoming less of a “hot topic” and more of a necessity. Whether through government regulation or company initiatives, companies are having to change the way they think about their ecological footprint.

Sustainability in packaging must walk the fine line between meeting function while minimizing future impact to the environment and future generations. Add to this that any changes to packaging must be cost effective, otherwise it most likely will not be used.

Manufacturers are continually searching for methods and materials to support sustainability. But like any technology, advances do not always come without liabilities (remember life without cell phones?) Recyclability must be weighed against the cost of recovery, biodegradable materials must consider the introduction of allergens. These are some of the challenges being confronted.

Still as advancements are being made, here are a few of the ways you can make your packaging more sustainable now, and the role Allied plays in that effort:

Minimizing materials

One of the most obvious ways of accomplishing greater sustainability is a reduction in packaging materials. This could include fewer layers of packaging as well as materials which have been engineered to maintain strength and properties while reducing overall mass.

Allied’s vanguard achievement toward this objective is the introduction of the Rapid Bander stretch wrap system. Our patented two-layer system allows unparalleled pre-stretch, resulting in a reduction in film use by as must as 60%, accompanied by a 125% increase in containment.

Engineered films are another way Allied is accomplishing sustainability goals for our customer, working with our suppliers to create coextruded multilayer films that allow for an overall reduction in material while maintaining properties such as strength and barrier.

Finally, Allied has partnered with the premiere extruder of shrink bundling film to offer films with exceptional strength which have, in many cases, allowed for multi-pack bundling of items such as canned beverages and foods without the need of a bottom tray, providing a tremendous reduction in packaging volume.

Recyclability

Many plastic films, such as stretch wrap and most shrink bundling films, are recyclable. One of the key factors in recyclability is the ease of recovery and reduction of materials that hinder recyclability. Allied supports this in two ways:

First, through our Rapid Bander Stretch Wrap System which achieves maximum pallet containment without the need for additional strapping or corner boards.

Second, through our film collection and recycling program. All you have to do is bale your clean, uncontaminated film – we do the rest.

Adopting clean technology

When we think of sustainability, our attention typically goes to the end product. But a major factor in sustainability is the process itself; the carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) and other by-products of manufacturing.

Here are some of the steps we take in minimizing these effects:

Allied uses a sophisticated RTO (Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer) system to control emissions and reduce emissions to as near zero as can be achieved.

We employ a solventless lamination system in our manufacturing process, which allows a lower coat weight (less packaging mass) and no risk of emissions.

Allied’s ink recycling system allows ink waste to be separated into ink solvents and solid waste. The resulting minimal can be properly disposed, while the cleaned solvents are used for press wash-up, reducing our need to use additional chemicals.

We’d love to share insights with you on how to work together responsibly and create a cleaner, more sustainable environment. Let’s collaborate!