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Amcor Introduces Designed-to-Be-Recycled Food Packaging in Colombia

A high-barrier sachet ensures the powdered chocolate’s shelf life and reduces the packaging's carbon footprint.
PlasticsToday Staff | May 25, 2021

Amcor has expanded the reach of its designed-to-be-recycled packaging with the introduction of a high-barrier plastic sachet for powdered chocolate in Colombia. The company claims the 25-gram sachet, which launched in May 2021, is the first of its kind in Latin America.
When it is recycled, the sachet reduces carbon footprint by 53% and water consumption by 84%, compared with the packaging it replaces. In addition to its sustainability attributes, the high-barrier package protects the powdered chocolate against ambient humidity.

“The new sachet is designed to be recycled in accordance with industry standards,” said Fabio Gonzalez, Amcor Colombia R&D Manager, in a prepared statement. “This development reflects Amcor’s unique R&D capabilities for creating innovative new packaging solutions that meet high standards for shelf life, sustainability criteria, and visual appeal. It also reaffirms our commitment to ensuring all our packaging is designed to be recyclable or reusable by 2025.”
Similar but larger packaging for powdered chocolate — and other dry foods that require a robust humidity barrier — are expected to launch after the sachet’s roll-out, appearing on store shelves later this year.
The sachet is the latest in a series of designed-to-be-recycled and other sustainable packaging projects on which Amcor has collaborated with leading food and beverage manufacturers. In Chile, Amcor recently launched designed-to-be-recycled packaging for dry soups, and pouch packaging as a can replacement for condensed milk.
In the Netherlands, the company introduced what it describes as the first designed-to-be-recycled retort pouch for wet pet food. And in Australia, for food products, it introduced the first flexible packaging made with recycled content.