Plastic-Free flow wrapping


Home Compostable Packing

Packing with Paper Film

Tray-Less Upgrade

Low Impact Manufacturing

Recycle, Biodegrade, Compost

+44 (0)1423 815 478 - tap to call

We can supply our flowrappers and customer upgrades fully configured for

home compostable
and
paper based
alternatives to plastic - ready to go, hassle free. So you could be making the most of new opportunities instead of worrying about the future. And you could be helping reduce our impact on the world. And all at a lower cost than your competitors.

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Home Compostable Packing


Natureflex home compostable film

A Compatible Machine

As part of our standard upgrade process we can adapt your flowrapper to operate with renewable and compostable NatureFlexTM films, which are produced from sustainably managed forests and are certified for both home and industrial composting.

Environmentally Responsible

This not only properly satisfies the increasing demand for more environmentally responsible packaging but also gives you an obvious marketing opportunity without the huge cost of new machinery. NatureFlexTM films are tailored to provide a range of heat seals and barriers (gas, moisture and mineral oil) and are available in semi-permeable, barrier and metallised for a wide variety of flowrap applications.

Working as a Team

Natureflex is produced by Futamura and we work closely with their UK based technical team. Our wide range of flow wrapper makes and models and technical knowledge is the ideal environment for testing new films. As part of the flow wrapper upgrade process we can modify your machine to operate with NatureFlexTM compostable films as well as conventional OPP films and laminates.

Genuine Credentials

Natureflex laminated films
NatureFlexTM films are an example of a true circular economy in action and have a range of independent certifications. They are made from responsibly managed renewable resources (wood pulp) and are certified to the European (EN13432) and American (ASTM D6400) norms for industrially compostable packaging. In addition, the majority of grades have achieved the OK Compost Home standard for home composting as well as biodegrading in a waste-water environment

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Packing with Paper Film


Can we use paper ?

park2nature paper film
It's fundamentally compostable and it's not plastic. The trouble is that pure paper is not pressure or heat sealable, it won't run through machinery without tearing, it has significant crease memory, it doesn't make strong packs and it falls apart when it gets wet. The answer is Park2Nature by Parkside Flexibles - a paper based film that we guarantee will run on our flowrappers and produce strong reliable packs.

What is Park2Nature ?

Park2NatureTM is a laminate of 25g or 40g paper made from pulp, eucalyptus trees and bio-polymer derived from natural resources such as sugarcane, cassava and corn. It is produced from sustainably managed plantations which essentially means that every tree felled is replaced with at least one more. It is ideally suited to dry goods that require a barrier against oxygen and moisture and it has a natural barrier to aroma, oils and grease.

What happens to it ?

Home composting
It naturally decomposes in the presence of oxygen, water and the microbes found in soil and compost. It breaks down into water, minerals and a largely neutral amount of CO2 and produces no harmful residues or unnatural materials. It is accredited as industrially compostable (EN13432 / AS 4736 - 2006) and is certified OK-Home Compostable through TUV.

How well does it work ?

Our own team of experts, working with Parkside's UK based organisation, have tested and evaluated their Park2NatureTM film on a selection of our modified flowrappers. Normally we don't expect much from paper films but, without question, Park2NatureTM produced packs which ran seamlessly through our modified flowrappers and produced finished packs with strength comparable to conventional plastic packaging.

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Tray-Less Flowrapper Upgrade


With some products, removing the tray and directly handling difficult unstable products can be a challenge. However, we have a wealth of engineering and practical experience backed by highly qualified academic specialists who can help you achieve high speed tray-less packing.

Tray-Less packaging


In some cases card can replace the plastic tray and we can supply automatic card feeders and folders. We can add self powered top brush and paddle systems, modify or build new infeeds to carry spherical, difficult or multi-pack products. We can design bespoke specialist feeding systems. Take a look at the video to see some examples of how we can stretch the capabilities of standard flowrappers.

Some applications require the use of more specialist box motion, long dwell and inverted machines which can be very expensive, so the savings we offer are even more significant.

One of our remanufactured machines, or upgrading your own, allows you to meet the increasingly 'green' demands of your customers as well as meet inevitable future legislation.

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Low Impact Re-Manufacturing


rebuilt environmentally friendly flow wrap

Manufacturing any new machinery uses energy, generates greenhouse gases and uses valuable natural resources way beyond what most people imagine. Making a new flowrapper can actually create more environmental damage than a lifetime of use.

So a used machine really does help save the planet. But we don't simply rebuild old machines - we remanufacture 'better than new' flow wrappers using parts from old ones. The frame, body and covers don't wear out. Worn bearings are easily replaced with new ones. And the internals are replaced by a class-leading latest generation efficient multi-motor system.

So you get a 'better than new' machine without the price tag or environmental damage of a new one.

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Recyclable, Biodegradable, Compostable ?


Should I use recylable, biodegradeable or compostable film? In truth it's a very complex subject that's driven by marketing, social perception, global politics and cost as much as it is by science. Here's our brief straight forward explanation:

Recyclable

film theoretically includes most plastics. As a wrapping material it's near perfect except for our careless disregard for how we dispose of it after use. There is a limit to the number of times it can be recyled and it requires an extensive collection, sorting and processing infrastructure which is very difficut to impliment effectively. It's also heavily compromised by multi-material laminates and barrier layers which are used to modify its properties and extend shelf life. There are currently no globally recognised standards covering the manufacture of recylable films or the recyling process.

Biodegradeable

is quite a vague term but generally relates to plastic film with special additives designed to make it break down under certain microbiological conditions. However there is no well defined standard stating, for instance, how long it takes or what it actually breaks down into. Critically, it's still made from the same core materials as petroleum based film and can simply disintegrate into equally damaging microplastic particles.

Compostable

films are produced from naturally occuring materials and decompose fully without any toxic residue and can actually provide regenarative nutriants. Some require a controlled industrial process while others are certified as Home Compostable and both must meet specific EN certification standards. However, because it currently represents a very small proportion of total packaging material, together with a lack of industrial processing, means it is often incinerated along with residual waste.

Simply throwing new technology films at existing horizontal flowrappers seldom works. It takes expertise and knowledge to build and suitably prepare equipment for these new environmentally friendly materials. Some of the world's leading film manufacturers work closely with us, testing their products on our wide range of makes and models. We can test any new film you are thinking of using and work with you on preparing your own upgraded or remanufactured flowrapper.

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Ready for Change


packaging waste

As momentum builds, international government legislation will undoubtedly become increasingly demanding. The UK's levy on plastic shopping bags and the ban by the Chinese government on imports of plastic waste are just the start. We might soon see prominent "NOT RECYCLABLE" as mandatory marking on films and taxes or levies designed to penalise producers using plastic or non-recyable films or excessive packaging. Not to mention the pollution and environmental damage caused by scrapping your old machine. As someone who has to wrap, you are bound to be concerned. So talk to us - we can help with these new challenges and still keep your budget under control.

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How to make flow wrapping sustainable

The plastic film that's now been used for several decades is really a by-product, almost a waste product, of the oil refining process and is easily and cheaply produced. Our continued reliance on plastic film material and its compatability with existing machinery will make it the lowest cost solution for the foreseeable future. Alternative biodegradable, recyclable and compostable films are now available and the pressure to change over to these is mounting. However it's a much more complex subject than popular opinion would have us believe! Biodegradable and industrially compostable films require the addition of some particularly unfriendly chemicals and still end up as micro-plastic particles. Recyclable requires big industrial power hungry separation and processing plants. Cellulose based compostable is made from naturally occuring materials and dissolves naturally and harmlessly back into the earth - great, but it's complex and expensive to produce. Perhaps the best alternative in terms of the environment is Natureflex - a truly home compostable film manufactured from wood pulp (ie. trees). It is manufactured by Futamura who not only have a major research and development facility in the UK but also work with us on testing new materials. Such cooperation works well as they get access to many different makes and models of flow-wrappers in one place as well as expert set-up and support from us. We, of course, get access to the latest films and the opportunity to build up expertise and experience of the different films. However the complex manufacturing process required to produce cellulose films makes them relatively expensive. This will, at least for the foreseeable future, remain the case and is something we must accept. On the plus side the latest generation film registration system and features such as 'No-Product-No-Bag', which are an inherent part of our flow-wrapper upgrade and our 'better than new' machines, considerably reduces film wastage.

The environmental impact of throwing away a flow wrapper and replacing it with a new one is significant. Manufacturing any substantial machine is costly both in terms of the commercial cost to your business and to the planet - from mining its raw materials to delivering the finished item has an environmental impact beyond what most of us would imagine. Some basic research will astound you - it did us!
If you already have a flow-wrapper that's perhaps seen better days it makes excellent sense to recycle it. If you are in need of a 'new' flow-wrapper we can supply you with a 'better than new' refurbished and upgraded alternative from our huge stock of machines. You are not only doing your bit towards saving the planet and saving yourself a lot of money but are getting a better machine than a new one. This is because in the last decade or so there has been a 'race to the bottom' not only in terms of price but also quality. Most of the main players now offer a cheap entry level flow-wrapper along side their better and more rugged higher end machines. These entry level machines are far from robust with components and, in some cases, entire machines being made in China with the terrible quality these Chinese low volume machines are known for. Although we try not to work on Chinese machines, and never sell them, we have had several brand new Chinese machines in our workshop requiring significant work to bring them up to European standards. In every case the quality of every aspect of the Chinese machines, from the raw materials, the parts machining, the assembly, the electrics and software, has been abysmal. So taking the bones of an older heavy duty rugged European machine (they don't make them like they used to!) and turning into a latest generation efficient and reliable version with all the latest bell and whistles, and at a price less than a cheap entry level new one, makes perfect sense.