Amcor is commercialising its AmPrima Plus recycle-ready flow wrap for chunk cheese, following a collaboration with Canadian dairy cooperative Agropur on the redesign of its Grand Cheddar packaging.
Amcor said AmPrima Plus supports cheese processors in meeting sustainability goals driven by retailer and legislative mandates across North America, without compromising packaging performance.
The redesign saw Agropur move from a paperboard overpack with plain flow wrap film to an all-flexible AmPrima Plus package supplied by Amcor. According to the company, the change delivered an 82 per cent reduction in packaging weight.
John Kearny, senior commercial director, dairy at Amcor Flexibles North America, said the new Grand Cheddar packaging demonstrated flexible packaging’s ability to deliver source reduction and cost savings.
“Amcor’s AmPrima Plus solution represents innovation in material technology. It’s the industry’s first recycle-ready flow wrap for chunk cheese, a multi-billion-dollar food category, that meets the Association of Plastic Recycler’s guidelines for recyclability without compromising other packaging performance requirements,” Kearny said.
Amcor said the new packaging uses its Amplify finishing technologies, including matte overlacquer and metallic inks, to maintain the product’s premium appearance.
According to an Amcor ASSET life cycle assessment certified by the Carbon Trust, AmPrima Plus flow wrap provides a 45 per cent reduction in carbon footprint compared to standard flow wrap when recycled.
The company said AmPrima Plus is compatible with existing flow wrap equipment and achieves equivalent line speeds to non-recycle-ready films. It also maintains barrier performance, abrasion and puncture resistance, protects cheese flavour and texture, offers heat resistance and clarity, and supports a range of printing techniques.
Amcor said AmPrima Plus is available across multiple dairy applications, including flow wrap, stand-up pouches, overwrap and forming and non-forming formats. Its dairy portfolio also includes Eco-Tite recycle-ready shrink bags, Amcor Revolution Barrier APET films and the AmFiniti platform, which supports the use of mechanically and chemically recycled content in flexible and rigid packaging.
