A Kellogg’s brand has begun using a pouch with an additive that compatibalizes its EVOH barrier layer and PE film during recycling.
Bear Naked granola began using the resealable stand-up barrier pouch after 18 months of research and design, according to Kellogg’s spokesman Scott Markley. The pouch’s film technology is provided by Dow.
Dow’s Retain brand compatibilizer, which is embedded in the package, disperses the EVOH through the polyethylene during recycling. That allows the package to be recycled alongside 100% polyethylene films at stores.
Dow received a “responsible innovation acknowledgement” for the compatibilizer from the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) in 2016. (APR owns Resource Recycling, Inc., publisher of Plastics Recycling Update.)
When asked about the biggest challenge adapting Dow’s packaging technology to Kellogg’s needs for the product, Shannon Moore, Kellogg’s lead packaging engineer, said there were multiple challenges, but the biggest was the production equipment interface.
“We had to do a lot of development work between Dow and our converters to successfully make bags on the line,” Moore said. “We had to work end to end to do this, which is not typically seen in a normal supplier/customer relationship. We had involvement from Dow, the equipment manufacturer, the manufacturing facility, the zipper suppliers, the film suppliers. Pretty much everyone you could think of. This collaborative effort was really what made this successful. The suppliers and Dow became more educated about our needs and expectations and Kellogg was able to learn about the Retain technology and how it could be enhanced to deliver on Bear Naked’s needs.”
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