Bio-based Potato Starches Replace Bag’s LLDPE Sealant Layer
Driving toward a goal of using more sustainable materials in packaging, two Alexia Organic Potatoes brand products from potato producer Lamb Weston will use corn and potato starch in their packaging beginning in April 2021.
According to packworld.com Alexia’s Organic Sweet Potato Fries and Organic Yukon Select Puffs will feature a special seal, identifying the plant-based packaging. Lamb Weston’s packaging team spent two years collaborating to create a sustainable packaging alternative and continue working to expand their sustainable packing efforts.
The new bag material lamination replaces a legacy oriented polypropylene (OPP) bag with LLDPE sealant layer. In the new lamination, 16% of the complete structure has been replaced with plant-based material, namely potato starches that are a byproduct of making French fries. In the new lamination, 16% of the complete structure has been replaced with plant-based material, namely potato starches that are a byproduct of making French fries.
Converter and flexible packaging supplier American Packaging Corporation (APC) provides the flexographically printed rollstock for this application. According to APC, the environmental impact annually of using a packaging substitute for the Alexia Organic Potato equates to:
- 14,700 miles driven
- 252 trash bags in landfill
- 750,000 phones charged
- 98 trees over 10 years
- 14 barrels of oil
