Tomorrow's packaging: why polyamide is the leading choice

Companies unite to promote benefits of polyamide-based food packaging

To raise awareness of the benefits of polyamides, key players in the polymer industry founded the Advanced Packaging Association (APA) in 2024. They believe that polyamides can help shape a better future. The association ensures that polyamide continues to play an important role in the transition to sustainable solutions for the packaging industry by applying research and technology.

This non-governmental organisation aims to bring together stakeholders across the flexible packaging value chain, raise awareness of the benefits of multilayer films with polyamide, provide resources and engage in knowledge sharing, and ensure that industry and legislators fully recognise the sustainable benefits of this packaging.

Polyamide casings: flexible packaging with multiple benefits

The benefits of using polyamide as a component in today's flexible packaging are numerous - from sustainable advantages to technical properties that are extremely important to food brands, retailers, packaging manufacturers and consumers. Most importantly, polyamide prevents the penetration of oxygen from the outside, so food does not spoil and its flavour and appearance remain unchanged.

"The high-quality polyamide also makes the composite film puncture-resistant," says Harold Goertz, director of global marketing and sales at Envalior for the films and extrusion business. "This means that fish bones, sharp cheese edges or bones cannot damage the packaging, which remains leak-proof."

Polyamide casings and the future of the packaging industry

Polyamide films are already effective in protecting foods at thicknesses of 20-40 microns, depending on the type of food and packaging. The amount of packaging waste generated by the disposal of multilayer films is correspondingly low. Moreover, these films do not degrade the quality of the resulting recycled polyethylene materials. Independent evaluations have repeatedly demonstrated their recyclability. For example, the testing institute cyclos-HTP GmbH has certified that polyamide multilayer films do not degrade the quality of PCR PE (post-consumer recycled content polyethylene).

"By integrating polyamide into flexible packaging, we are not only minimizing food waste and improving durability, but also actively working towards a more sustainable future," explained Torsten Bredemann, Vice President of Global Marketing and Sales for Intermediates at Envalior. "We are proud to be a founding member of APA, and our mission is to demonstrate the many benefits that polyamide brings to packaging, highlighting its key role in reducing environmental damage and promoting a greener planet."

The key to any successful initiative aimed at protecting the planet is the active involvement of people who care about the environment. Consumers need to understand how using advanced flexible packaging with polyamide can help reduce the industry's impact on the environment - APA's primary goal.

"We invite consumers and the entire polyamide packaging films value chain to support us. We are reaching out to raw material suppliers, film manufacturers, machine builders, retailers, major supermarket chains, recyclables retailers and recycling companies," Goertz emphasized. "Our goal is to inform not only the general public but also all decision makers in politics, legislation and public institutions about how sustainable, climate friendly and efficient polyamide packaging is."