Although bottles still dominate the market, alternative packaging concepts such as spouted pouches are gaining momentum in the yogurt drinks sector, according to Südpack. It now offers a PP-based film solution for spouted pouch production.

With a market share exceeding 44%, rigid formats such as PET bottles and cups remain the predominant packaging choice. Flexible pouches, however, are the fastest-growing alternative format, with forecast growth of 8%. Flexible pouches can be squeezed almost completely empty and are easy to handle. The lightweight stand-up pouch is robust enough to withstand the pressures of everyday use in a handbag or backpack.

CarbonLite PurePP pouch material is based on polypropylene. The films can be tailored to provide the required barriers against oxygen and water vapour and, according to internal testing, offer the same shelf life as the PET/aluminium/PE laminates commonly used to date, Südpack says. Combining the pouch with a PP spout allows the entire package to be recycled within the PP recycling stream. Designed in line with PPWR design principles, the solution achieves a recyclability rate of more than 95%.

Based on raw materials and production, internal calculations show that the CO2e footprint per square meter of a PP-based spouted pouch with a film thickness of 111 μm is more than 40% lower than that of a 103 μm PET/aluminium/PE laminate. While the conventional laminate is generally sent for energy recovery at the end of its life cycle, the PP-based concept can be mechanically recycled.