Uflex develops formulation to reprocess edible oil barrier packaging

In a boost to its commitment towards sustainability and circular economy, Noida-based Uflex has developed a customised formulation that renders barrier packaging for edible-oil re-processable.

09 Apr 2018 | By Rahul Kumar

Jeevaraj Pillai, joint president, packaging and new product development at Uflex, 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 specialised formulation that renders barrier packaging for edible oil re-processable despite the presence of nylon and/or EVOH.

Now, edible oil manufacturers will not need to worry and can easily fulfil their recyclability commitments by using barrier packaging with the Uflex formulation.

According to data from the 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 back, grew at 25.6% to cross the Rs 1.3-trillion mark in 2017.

“In fact, edible oil accounts for over 30% of the Rs 4.34-trillion packaged foods market in India. Thus, the potential is huge and we are fully braced to cater to the flexible packaging requirements of all edible oil players,” he added.

Ashok Chaturvedi, chairman and managing director, Uflex, said, “We accord prime importance to sustainable flexible packaging solutions and business processes. I am glad to share that my R&D engineers have been able to develop a specialised 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.”