Walki unveils recyclable packaging portfolio for frozen foods amid rising demand

13 Jun 2022 --- Walki is introducing a recyclable packaging portfolio for frozen foods in response to growing demand in this segment, especially from younger consumers. The portfolio of different materials aims to make packaging fully recyclable in the paper stream. 

“Frozen food is an ideal way to prolong shelf life without losing out on the vitamins. It is also an excellent way to combat food waste. This is important as up to 9% of global carbon emissions can be attributed to food waste, especially fruit and vegetables,” explains Dudley Jones, consumer sales at Walki.

“Frozen food places high demands on the packaging. It needs to be both sturdy and puncture-resistant to handle diverse situations like pressures of sealing and mechanical tear during transportation. The packaging also needs to withstand variability in temperatures as some frozen food is defrosted in its packaging.”

Pillow pouches
Walki Evo Seal and Walki Opti Seal are recyclable paper-based packaging designed for frozen food pillow pouches. Walki Evo Seal has a dispersion coating acting as a barrier against water vapor and grease, while Walki Opti Seal has an optimized PE-extrusion coating.

“The dispersion coating makes Walki Evo Seal recyclable in the waste paper stream without any separation process, while the minimized PE coating on Walki Opti Seal makes it suitable for recycling with paper with an acceptable fiber yield,” says Andreas Rothschink, head of product development at Walki.

Both solutions are suitable for all kinds of frozen food, including vegetables, seafood, and bakery products.Lamibel MDO-PE.

Film-based material
The Lamibel MDO-PE product is a film-based material for pillow pouches made of reverse printed MDO-film and solvent-free laminated with low sealing LDPE. Thanks to the MDO technology, the film thickness is minimized while performance is maximized by replacing other sorts of materials such as PP- or PET films.

“This combination of two PE films makes the packaging fully recyclable in the plastics stream. The stretched film has better optics with high stiffness and mechanical properties than standard PE. The film can also be transparent, allowing the consumer to see the product,” explains Rothschink.

Lamibel MDO-PE is described as an ideal material for all types of packaging, including doypack, flowpack and pouches, and all kinds of frozen foods, like vegetables, sharp-edges seafood and bakery.Walki Pack Tray.

Board-based tray
Walki Pack Tray is a board-based tray suitable for frozen ready-made meals, designed to replace aluminum, plastic or plastic-coated trays.

“The tray is easy to fill, transport and store, and is also the convenient choice for the consumer as the fiber-based tray is safe to use in microwaves and in conventional ovens up to 220 degrees for up to 60 minutes,” says Jones.

The tray material is PET-free and recyclable in the paper stream, the company says.

Edited by Joshua Poole