FachPack 2007 Presents Powerful Range of Packaging Supplies

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The Nürnberg exhibition triplets FachPack (packaging solutions), PrintPack (package printing/packaging supplies production) and LogIntern (in-plant logistics) invites the industry to another get-together from 25-27 September 2007. A good 1, 300 exhibitors are expected and over 33, 000 visitors. The mainly SME manufacturers of packaging materials, packaging supplies and packaging ancillaries – at least one third of the exhibitors – feel really at home in Nürnberg and together with the suppliers of packaging machinery are the focus of attention.

Disposable packages of plastic continue their success story. They are light, adaptable, available in almost any shape, simple to use and their tailor-made barrier properties preserve the quality of the packed food. Research and development work in the chemical and plastic industry constantly produces materials with new properties. Bioplastics are also capturing their place in the packaging supplies market with high growth rates.

A new term in the world of convenience packaging is "minimally processed". This means the ingredients for a convenience product should remain as natural and as fresh as possible, although they must meet requirements like "convenient preparation of a quick meal in the microwave". The product categories are divided into ready-to-use, ready-to-cook, pre-cooked or ready-to-eat. Different films are used for the package depending on the product and processing stage. Products with Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) keep fresh longer and look appetizing.

One trend in the fresh and frozen convenience segment is skin packaging. In this process, a film is sealed over the food like a skin so that the individual components cannot slip out of place. The products can even be presented hanging up. This particularly attractive form of presentation requires special films that are capable of flowing in the heated state and adapt to the outlines of the food on cooling down. It is a technical challenge to cut the film in the heated state and apply it to the tray package.

For fresh lettuces there are special breathable films for "controlled atmosphere packaging". Here the barrier property of the film is more or less reversed. Lettuces take in CO2 and give off oxygen in the field, but exactly the opposite after shredding. The film must therefore be able to discharge CO2 from the package.

The high oil prices are attracting attention to so-called bioplastics again. Most of the developments until now have not been priced competitively enough for large-scale use in the packaging industry. Bioplastics must be divided into biodegradable materials and plastics based on renewable raw materials. Some plastics based on renewable raw materials are not biodegradable.

On the other hand, there are degradable materials based on fossil raw materials. Biodegradability or a biological raw material basis does not yet automatically mean an environmental advantage. About 4 % of oil and gas consumption are used for the production of plastics today. Renewable raw materials are actually used in the plastics industry if they offer economic and technical advantages.

The total consumption of plastics in Europe is 48.5 million t. Bioplastics with 0.05 million t are still virtually insignificant, although their share doubled from 2005 to 2006. The use of renewable products for the manufacture of bioplastics is restricted by the limited growing areas. For example, government subsidies for certain cultivated products – like rape for promoting biodiesel – can limit the reliable production of renewable raw materials in other areas.

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