'Green' shrink film showcased at Emballage

The French packaging company showcased its Bolphane Byo at the French packaging show, Emballage 2008, last week.

The company said the shrink film has been developed to tackle the increasing problem of packaging waste.

Despite most shrink films being 100 per cent recyclable, they still end up in landfill sites each year, claims Bollore.

The Bolphane Byo film, according to the manufacturer, oxidizes by effect of light and heat, disintegrating into components that are bio-assimilated by soil microorganisms, leaving only water, carbon dioxide and biomass, whether in normal landfill conditions or when accidentally abandoned in nature.

Josyane Bonetti-Riffaud, packaging R & D manager at Bollore, told FoodProductionDaily.com that the shrink film meets the EU food contact standard and internal tests have proved its oxobiodegradability, though it still remains recyclable.

The polyolefin film will completely disappear within three years, unlike the 300 years taken by conventional shrink films, claims the company.

Bonetti-Riffaud said the film is based on its BY grade of polyolefin shrink films, whose unique five-layered construction makes sealing easier and also provides exceptional clarity and gloss.

She said that the Bolpane Byo polyolefin offers mechanical and esthetical characteristics equivalent to that of other high performance shrink films.

"The film provides outstanding yield, excellent sealing, hot slip property after shrinkage and good optics.​

“It also seals and shrinks at considerably lower temperatures than any shrink film currently available, thus offering additional environmental benefits.”​​

She said the film has good machinability on high speed shrink wrapping equipment and can also be run effectively on manual machines.

The new shrink film is available in a variety of sizes and comes single-wound or centerfold, said the company.

Bonetti-Riffaud added that Bollore is currently developing barrier films for meat product applications, and these will be released commercially in early 2009.