Easy slip plastic packaging

An everyday phenomena met by consumers world wide is the fact that it is not possible to empty many containers without scraping or flushing to avoid loss of content. Typical examples can be drinking yoghurt, tomato ketchup or paint, where up to 10% loss c an be observed. This represents significant value both for the consumer and producer. When waste handling or recycling is considered packaging products might end up as special category waste, or both consumer and waste handling companies perform washing with and extensive amount of water. Due to the environmental aspects and increasing customer focus on these challenges, this project target to find solutions to the problem. The overall idea of this project is to develop an environmentally friendly packag ing concept with inner plastic surfaces that due to very good slip properties (easy slip) would enable more or less no residues in the package when emptied. The project consortium developing this new technology has six partners: two R&D institutes (Norne r and SP), two packaging producers (Elopak and Promens Kambo) and two final product producers (Tine SA and Jotun). Elopak, which is one of the leading companies in non-carbonated food packaging, is the project owner. Norner AS, which is an independent, g lobal polymer institute, is the project leader. After a bit more than half-run project the participants have focused their technology development into mainly three concepts, each one unique for a given demonstrator. Technology has been developed within t he project, but also focus has been put on utilizing 3rd party technology available for further development and potentially licensing. New packaging solutions meet competition from extremely cost competitive state of the art technologies. If not able to c ompete on cost new solutions must provide benefits to the customers that are unique enough to be interesting in the long run. For easy slip solutions this means that containers must be close to 100% emptied and possible to mass-produce. Cost-benefit analy ses on the industrial scale will together with further product development/optimization be the main focus for the consortium from 2014 onward.

An everyday phenomena met by consumers world wide is the fact that it is not possible to empty many containers without scraping or flushing to avoid loss of content. Typical examples can be drinking yoghurt, tomato ketchup or paint, where up to 10% loss can be observed. This represents significant value both for the consumer and producer. When waste handling or recycling is considered packaging products might end up as special category waste, or both consumer and waste handling companies perform washing with and extensive amount of water. Due to the environmental aspects and increasing customer focus on these challenges, this project target to find solutions to the problem. The overall idea of this project is to develop an environmentally friendly packag ing concept with inner plastic surfaces that due to very good slip properties (easy slip) would enable more or less no residues in the package when emptied. Extensive R&D is crucial in order to identify and develop concepts that are applicable for plast ic forming processes, consistent with food or paint applications and that have potentials in markets with low to moderate margins. The innovation will increase customer value of products, give access to new markets and give an important reduction i CO2 fo otprint. The project consortium developing this new technology has six partners: two R&D institutes (Norner and YKI), two packaging producers (Elopak and Promens Kambo) and two final product producers (Tine SA and Jotun). Elopak, which is one of the lead ing companies in non-carbonated food packaging, is the project owner. Norner AS, which is an independent, global polymer institute, is the project leader. The result of the project will be upscalable prototype packaging products with documented potential for significant reductions in waste residues. The demonstrators will be made by the participating packaging producers and evaluated by final product producers.