Issue Date: 31 January

Environmental concerns have dominated practically every sector of the packaging industry for several years.  Initially the focus was fairly selective with much attention paid to the recyclability of packs and materials.  More recently, a more holistic approach has been adopted, where many forms of packaging are acknowledged as helping to make a contribution to the overall development of more sustainable solutions. At the same time, packaging’s wider and equally valuable roles of protection, promotion and preservation – and the environmental benefits that these can also often deliver – are also being much more widely recognised.

Tear tape is a perfect example contributing across both board-based and flexible packaging to offer many important advantages in terms of convenience, safety, and brand image and protection while also helping to support a pack’s more positive environmental profile.

In board applications Payne’s Rippatape^TM offers a safe and convenient means of opening secondary packaging where the elimination of knives and other implements from the opening process minimises the danger of product damage. Recent research by WRAP(1),  has highlighted how we throw away more food than packaging – some 5.3 million tonnes of avoidable food waste – and that food waste has a greater impact on the environment.  By providing the functionality of easy opening, Rippatape^TM helps reduce product damage through the use of knives and therefore addresses a key concern surrounding the reduction of waste from damaged goods.

In addition, because Rippatape^TM avoids the need for alternative opening methods such as perforations, secondary packaging’s strength is retained, reducing product damage that can occur during transit.  Furthermore, as the tape does not weaken the board, associated increases in board usage can potentially be avoided, delivering potential environmental benefits in terms of reduced material consumption and lighter weight.

It is also important to point out that Rippatape^TM does not impede the recycling of the board it is adhered to as the tape can easily be separated as part of the recycling process. This has been acknowledged by corrugated board producers (2) and is a key benefit of Payne’s water-based adhesive.  

Reducing goods damaged during opening which are subsequently thrown away is an advantage offered by Payne’s tear tape offering for flexible packaging Supastrip®. In addition, Supastrip® can provide a range of benefits through its ability to carry printed messages and information.  Wide width printed message tapes in sizes up to 30mm are able to incorporate sophisticated print and complex graphics as well as barcodes, offering a cost-effective alternative to the updating of printed overwraps, flow wraps and bags for promotions, pricing and other on-pack messages. This can allow a generic pack to be used across a range of products or to highlight a limited run promotion, thereby helping with stock management and minimising the danger of wasted packaging at the end of the campaign.

In terms of tear tape’s own environmental credentials, MOPP and PET films can be recycled where facilities are available. PAFA the Packaging and Film association estimates that over 300,000 tonnes of plastic film every year is recycled very often into ‘long life’ products such as durable weather-proof street furniture including bollards and park benches as well as intorefuse sacks for use in the waste industry.

Increasingly research is also highlighting the many environmental benefits of plastics in general. Although derived from a finite earth resource (oil), plastic film products make the best possible use of by-products of the oil refining process (ethylene and naphtha) which might otherwise have to be wasted or flared off. This means that plastic films are an extremely efficient option. All plastic film consumption across the globe uses less than 4% of the oil resource extracted. (3)

Also, a recent study commissioned by PlasticsEurope and carried out by Denkstatt GmbH found that plastic products can often provide a more efficient use of resources, contributing to the saving of energy and the reduction of greenhouse gases in comparison to other alternatives. (4)

As a manufacturer Payne is continually seeking ways to minimise the environmental impact of both its products and its own operations. As part of its ongoing product development process, for example, the company is exploring the creation of more sustainable tear tape solutions, such as the use of sustainably sourced and biodegradable materials.  Historically the business offered huge advantages to customers with the reduction of tear tape gauge from 40 to 26 microns, reducing material consumption (with an estimated average annual saving of 630 tonnes of material), while the ability to supply increased reel lengths delivers additional benefits in transport and production efficiencies. For example, a typical delivery lorry can now carry around one third more tape per journey at the same weight.(5)

At the same time, Payne’s own overall reduction of its carbon footprint has resulted in the company gaining the Carbon Trust Award in 2010, which confirmed the considerable effort the company has put into reducing its carbon emissions to date. It also represents a key milestone in Payne’s strategy to implement an overall environmental programme for long-term sustainability with its ‘ThinkGreen’ initiative.

Employee awareness is also being increased thanks to Payne’s Energy & Environment team which initially launched ThinkGreen as an internally focused programme. Following review the brand was seen to have real value in highlighting the considerable work that Payne has done in improving its environmental impact over the years. With the addition of the slogan ‘Reduce. Recycle. Research ThinkGreen will be used to demonstrate Payne’s environmental strategy to customers and key stakeholders.

Packaging is acknowledged as playing an important role in our modern lifestyle, and the efforts that manufacturers have made and continue to make in developing solutions to support sustainability, not just for the pack but also for the product it contains, are more widely recognised.

Packaging cannot and should not be judged on a single criterion; it has to be selected for the job it needs to do and the benefits it can deliver by reducing food and product waste though containing, protecting and preserving. Payne will therefore continue to develop the potential and benefits of the tear tape format while working hard to minimise its environmental impact and highlight its benefits to the wider packaging industry through its advantages in reducing waste through damage to food and other packaged goods..

Notes

(1) The Water and Carbon Footprint of Household Food Waste in the UK – Published by WRAP & WWF Project code: ISBN: 1-84405-444-6. Research date: 2010-2011 Date: March 2011

(2) Source available on request

(3) PAFA website - www.pafa.org.uk

(4) PlasticsEurope e.V., Denkstatt-GmbH studied the actual effects of typical plastics products during their entire life cycle through its study entitled "The Effects of Plastics upon Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Europe". http://www.plasticseurope.org

(5) Based on internal calculations. A 40micron 1.6mm wide tape has a maximum reel length of 110,000km, while a 26micron 1.6mm wide tape has a maximum reel length of 150,000km. The increase in reel length from moving 40micron to 26micron is 36% or approximately one third. The diameter of the reel is lower with a 26micron tape so despite the increase in material length per reel, box sizes don’t need to increase and the same number of boxes would be transported in a container.