O F Pack client Brookfarm have always been environmentally-conscious, from the way they grow produce to the quality ingredients used in their muesli and granola products.
From the onset, Brookfarm wanted to obtain a more sustainable packaging structure for their products, while still satisfying the protective qualities needed to keep their products fresh. Together with our O F Pack team, we trialled and tested a number of specialized film structures that didn’t involve complex multi-laminates, allowing the packaging to be easier to recycle at end of life. Brookfarm themselves underwent months of shelf-life testing of these pouches, to ensure they could provide the right level of product protection.
In the time that the mono-polymer, high barrier recyclable film construction option was found compatible with the Brookfarm product, O F Pack had come across a new innovation that would take their recyclable packaging to the next level.
Our team presented them with an out-of-the-box concept that would allow their pouch to be recycled through existing kerbside waste infrastructure, meaning that consumers could recycle their pouches at home.
This latest innovation was a labour of love and determination by both Brookfarm and O F Pack, which has proven worthwhile as the very first kerbside recyclable pouch in Australia.
Our team presented them with an out-of-the-box concept that would allow their pouch to be recycled through existing kerbside waste infrastructure, meaning that consumers could recycle their pouches at home.
Using the Roll ‘n’ Recycle concept, O F Pack worked on a specialized label that was made from the same base polymer as the Brookfarm pouch, that would be pre-adhered to the packaging during packaging production. Trialling and testing the label was a challenge. As the adhesives used had to be the exact right consistency and provide a strong enough hold on the rolled pouches to allow success of the project.
Once end consumers of the product are finished with the packaging, they can peel off a section of the label and apply it to the empty pouch after rolled, creating a three-dimensional shape that can move through the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) without hassle in the same way as a plastic bottle.
Read more about the journey to recyclability on Brookfarm’s website here.
