Sustainability Initiatives
Sustainability – a delicate balance
Packaging machinery manufacturer, Gerhard Schubert GmbH talks all about design and development, where sustainability is a key factor of the process
Thanks to a special sealing technology, the Flowpacker from Schubert can switch
between conventional and sustainable fl owpack fi lms.
Above: Schubert packaging developer Valentin Köhler strives to meet the ecological and economic demands on packaging in equal measure.
Left: Most of Schubert’s packaging machines can handle both plastic packaging and paper-based packaging.
option is thermal recycling – a euphemism for the waste incineration plant. “We do not see designing for recycling as a hurdle, but
P
aper-based, made of glass or biodegradable? There are many different opinions on what constitutes sustainable packaging. But one thing is certain: The pressure on manufacturers and users
is
growing. So how can consumer demands be met while satisfying recyclers? Gerhard Schubert GmbH, the packaging machinery manufacturer from Crailsheim, offers packaging design and development as one of its services. Sustainability is taken into account just as much as product safety and effi cient handling. Fully recyclable, biodegradable, made of 100% recycled material, produced from bio-based raw materials – today, the sustainability of packaging is advertised with many formulations. Users are responding to the high expectations of consumers in the B2C market. But what exactly do the individual references to the packaging properties mean? Is biodegradable plastic fi lm really better than conventional? How does the life cycle assessment of fi bre-based composites compare to pure plastic packaging? And isn’t everything incinerated in the end anyway? When shopping, many consumers are unsure of what choice will keep their environmental footprint lean. And they are not alone – many manufacturers or users of packaging feel the same way. As a result, packaging is still entering the market that, although well-intentioned, is more harmful to the environment than benefi cial. Ultimately, the ones who bear the brunt are the disposal companies: What cannot be separated well or only has a small share in the collection of recyclable materials cannot be recycled. The recycling cycle then misses out on the material and recyclers lose their margin. For non-recyclable materials, the only
24 Kennedy’s Confection June 2022
rather as an integral part of the development process. After all, smaller wall thicknesses or tighter boxes have a positive impact not only ecologically but also economically,” Valentin Köhler, Packaging Developer at Schubert. Furthermore, when it comes to product protection, Schubert customers can depend on the reliability and fl exibility of the systems from Crailsheim – even with fl owpack fi lms, where the tightness and barrier functions of some, cannot normally be easily achieved. In Schubert’s fl ow-wrapping machines, a variable sealing system ensures a reliable solution. The technology combines the ultrasonic method for longitudinal sealing and the fl ying cross-sealing unit which ensures the sealing time can be adjusted exactly to a constant value. The advantage is that both longitudinal and cross sealing processes work very gently and are suitable not only for heat- sensitive products but also for sustainable fi lms. Finding the most sustainable solution is not always easy, whether we’re talking about plastic or paper, metal or glass, composites or indeed materials that are currently unknown – no packaging can cover all needs equally and always offer the highest sustainability. With its high-performance, fl exible equipment and application-oriented development capabilities, Schubert offers packaging design that ensures its customers’ future viability while setting industry-wide standards in terms of sustainability. “Our goal is to always meet ecological and economic demands in equal measure,” says Valentin.
“Quite simply because when both are in harmony, that’s always the most sustainable solution.”
¡ You can fi nd more information here:
https://www.schubert.group/en/
sustainability.html
Gerhard Schubert GmbH Packaging machines Industriegebiet Südost, Hofäckerstraße 7 74564 Crailsheim, Germany Tel: +49 7951 400-0 E-mail:
info@gerhard-schubert.de www.schubert.group
KennedysConfection.com
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