GEA presents a new combined solution for sustainable food packaging at IFFA in Frankfurt. The new packaging law, which came into force in Germany on January 1, 2019, requires significantly higher recycling rates for plastic packaging and will have far-reaching consequences for industry. Together with partner companies, GEA developed an ecological carton/film composite solution, known as FoodTray. The two components, which are assembled on a GEA thermoforming packaging machine, can be easily separated later by the consumer in a single motion.
Supplying a growing world population with fresh food only works with the support of safe and secure packaging. The challenge is the consumption of resources, which is constantly rising and yet must be minimized. The German packaging law stipulates recycling quotas which, for example, requires 63 percent for plastics by 2022. "The question is what the packaging industry can do to meet these requirements and how it can ultimately replace plastic," says Hans-Günter Donges, who is responsible for overarching developments in process technology at GEA.