A collage shows a dummy flow pack in the foreground, with a portion of mince on a wooden chopping board in the background.

Swabian company Südpack already offers a wide range of flow packs. (Image: Südpack)

Flow packs as a sustainable solution in food packaging

Flow packs are primarily used as packaging for food and offer some clear benefits: they require less material in manufacture compared to inherently stable packaging, which in turn means they take up less space during transport and on supermarket shelves.

As early as 2020, Lidl introduced mince packaged in flow packs at its branches. (Image: Lidl)

Several German supermarket chains switched to flow packs as early as 2020, usually for mince, a move that saved quite a lot of plastic, according to company statements. Lidl, for example, said its mince packs have reduced packaging by 60 percent compared to conventional food packaging trays. “Flow packs are an efficient solution to packaging fresh meat, as it reduces the use of plastic tremendously. We are therefore reviewing whether we will be able to use these packs for other articles in future,” Jan Bock, Head of Purchasing at Lidl Germany, said at the time.

Flow packs made out of mono materials

Swabian manufacturer Südpack is one company that demonstrates the breadth of possible applications. Südpack has a portfolio of high-performance structures that are designed to meet the requirements of the products that require packaging as well as of the technology required to do so. One example is the Pure Line product range, which comprises polyethylene (PE) solutions along with recyclable, polypropylene-based (PP) mono materials.

Pure Line films have been tested on horizontal as well as vertical flow pack lines from manufacturers of packaging machines and have been designed for high outputs and maximum material yields. One particular characteristic is the films’ broad sealing range, which results in a high level of process and packaging safety.

Besides the benefits mentioned above, such as savings in terms of material and space, flow packs offer manufacturers a further plus: in addition to “conventional” films, they can also be made out of recyclable mono materials and fibre-based packaging materials, thus addressing eco-conscious consumers and conserving the environment.

Machines can process packs made out of paper and film

More and more manufacturers are now switching to mono material solutions. Plastics such as PP and PE are almost fully recyclable, meaning flow packs made of these materials can be labelled accordingly. Another option is to switch to paper-based materials, using paper with barrier properties on the one hand, and machines that can process flow packs made out of this paper just as well as conventional versions on the other.

The W 500 flowpacker has been designed to handle sustainable films and paper-based materials.
(Image: Multivac)

Multivac is one company that manufactures these machines. Based in Bavaria, Multivac recently introduced its W 500 flowpacker, which supports the use of sustainable films and paper-based materials. According to company statements, the horizontal flowpacker can be used to package a number of foods; products can be changed quickly.

Flow packs are a relevant form of food packaging. Recyclable mono material plastics, fibre-based packaging materials and machines that can process them make sure flow pack production does not impact the environment, allowing the packs’ benefits to shine.