In a big boost to its commitment towards
sustainability and circular economy, India’s largest multinational flexible
packaging materials and solution company Uflex Limited has developed a
customised formulation that renders barrier packaging for edible-oil
re-processable.
Talking about this major breakthrough in promoting
flexible packaging sustainability, Joint President, Packaging and New Product
Development at Uflex Mr. Jeevaraj Pillai said, “Edible oil needs to be carefully
protected from oxygen that makes it rancid. Barrier properties in a coextruded
film for edible-oil packaging are imparted by Nylon and/or EVOH. However, it is
the presence of these two elements that makes the packaging of edible-oil
non-reprocessable. We at Uflex have developed a specialized formulation that
renders barrier packaging for edible-oil re-processable despite the presence of
Nylon and/or EVOH.
Now the edible oil manufacturers need not worry and
can easily fulfil their recyclability commitments by using barrier packaging
having our formulation. According to data from market research firm Euromonitor
International, the edible oil category, which had overtaken dairy to become the
largest packaged food segment in our country a few years ago, grew at 25.6 per
cent to cross the Rs. 1.3 trillion mark in 2017. In fact, edible oil formed
over 30 per cent of the Rs 4.34 trillion packaged foods market in India. Thus
the potential is huge and we are fully braced up to cater to the flexible
packaging requirements of all edible-oil players in the country and overseas in
a sustainable manner.”
Expressing joy over this development, Mr. Ashok
Chaturvedi, Chairman & Managing Director, Uflex Limited said, “We accord
prime importance to sustainable flexible packaging solutions and business
processes. I am very glad to share that my R&D engineers have been able to
develop a specialized formulation that renders barrier packaging for edible oil
re-processable. Considering that edible oil category is the largest packaged
food segment in our country, one can well imagine the massive global boost
India as a Nation will get in terms of sustainability and promotion of circular
economy if it is able to reprocess all the barrier packaging for edible oil.
This is a great victory for Sustainability. This is a great victory for India.”
