Poland-based Silbo has announced that it is collaborating with compostable packaging solutions group Tipa.
Silbo said that the partnership was in response to growing market demand for compostable packaging solutions, including for use with fresh produce.
The Polish group is using Tipa's packaging, together with other materials, to 'drive innovation and create high-quality, premium packaging solutions'.
Silbo said that its packaging stood to prove there were alternatives to conventional plastic flexible packaging with the same functionalities as conventional plastics.
“Tipa and Silbo share a revolutionary approach to compostable packaging, so it was only natural for us to collaborate,' said Chen Katz, chief revenue officer of Tipa. 'With our combined expertise in compostable films and packaging practices, we are able to bring a very wide range of innovative and highly sophisticated solutions to our clients.”
According to a Plastics Europe report, Europe produced approximately 61.8m tonnes of plastic in 2018.
In addition, only 40 per cent of EU plastic packaging waste is recycled, meaning that large quantities of plastic are still ending up in landfill. Flexible plastic packaging is even more infrequently recycled, with a 9 per cent recycling rate.
Silbo said it was the only company in the world producing film-based packaging with compostable water-based inks.
As part of the collaboration, the packaging producers will supply flexible packaging for fruits, vegetables, and teabags.
The packaging is resistant to moisture, aromas, and gases while also being suitable for refrigerated storage.
The compostable film-based laminates use water-based adhesives and are also printed with water-based inks, which ensure that the end-product is certified compostable.
Tipa’s compostable packaging is certified to international standards of compostability and has been found to out-perform conventional plastic by extending the shelf-life of fresh produce in two peer-reviewed studies.
The partnership comes as the flexible packaging market is predicted to grow to US$348bn by 2026 and will be worth approximately US$400bn by 2027, according to Research and Markets.
'At Silbo, we have been designing packaging for over 20 years,' said Marcin Śpiewok, CEO and owner of Silbo. “However, a few years ago we decided to make a big change in our product strategy, and we decided to develop our brand based on environmentally friendly packaging.
“We decided that business development can no longer be based only on financial indicators, but must also take into account environmental issues,' he continued. 'Looking to the future, we don't see any other way. We wanted to give everyone a choice and show that we are not forced to only use plastic flexible packaging.
“This is what we prove in our projects,' Śpiewok added. 'We offer compostable packaging that is a real environmentally friendly alternative.”
