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Partnership to develop sustainable packaging for shelf-life extension of fresh produce

30 January 2023

BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany) and StePac Ltd. (Tefen, Israel) have joined forces to create the next generation of sustainable packaging specifically for the fresh produce sector.

Supplying StePac with its Ultramid Ccycled, a chemically recycled polyamide 6, BASF will provide its partner with greater flexibility to advance contact-sensitive packaging formats to a higher sustainable standard within the circular economy. 

StePac is pioneering the use of chemically recycled plastics for the packaging of fresh perishables. The company was recently REDcert2 certified to incorporate chemically recycled polyamide 6 into its flexible, modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) products. Their two brands Xgo and Xtend are based on MAP technology with built-in humidity control which effectively slows respiration inside the packaging, delays the ageing processes, inhibits microbial decay, and preserves the quality and nutritional value of the produce during prolonged storage and long-haul shipments. Ultramid Ccycled will make up 30% of the packaging material, with options for integration at a higher percentage.

“This alliance will help strike a balance between creating plastic packaging that is as eco-friendly as possible to keep fresh produce longer through more prudent use of lean plastic films,” said Gary Ward, Business Development Manager of StePac. “These upgraded packaging formats will continue to maintain their role of significantly reducing food waste, a most important task considering that global food waste is responsible for about 8% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.”

Colombian passion fruit exporters Jardin Exotics, S.A.S. will be the first to use the new packaging brand Xgo Circular. Supplied as film for horizontal form fill-and-seal, the packaging’s MAP properties will slow the ripening process and preserve the quality of the fruit during the long sea voyage from Colombia to Europe. Packing at-source in the final retail packaging format also eliminates the need for repacking after arrival. For passion fruit, the combination of the produce specific modified atmosphere properties of the film together with its high-water vapor transmission rate are what makes this film unique in its performance.

www.basf.com
www.stepac.com


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