Queensland-based specialised paper products supplier Alliance Paper has joined forces with Planet Ark to boost safety and sustainability in the thermal paper and food packaging markets.
The environmental group is praising Alliance Paper for its efforts to transition the retail industry away from using thermal till receipts containing the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), which can interfere with hormones in the human body; the chemical was phased out of baby bottles by major Australian retailers in 2010.
Planet Ark also approves of Alliance’s product Rollo Wrap, which is billed as an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic-lined paper packaging used for food applications such as bakery items, deli wrappings, and pizza box liners. Rollo Wrap is free of potentially health-affecting chemicals such as PFAS (per and polyfluoroalkyl substances), and is both compostable and recyclable.
According to Roy Tasker, Planet Ark’s chief scientific advisor, Alliance Paper’s efforts to make safer and more sustainable products are commendable.
“Planet Ark wants to encourage retailers and fast food restaurants to fast track moving to paper products that are better for the health of their staff and the environment,” he said.
Jon Williams, Managing Director of Alliance Paper, says his company believes staff safety should be of crucial concern to businesses.
“We are excited to work with Planet Ark to not only encourage the adoption of safer and more environmentally responsible alternatives in the thermal paper and food packaging markets, but to reinforce practices and processes in local manufacturing,” he said.
According to Williams, Rollo Wrap is a new product in the Australian market, designed for rolls, sheets, and bags. The product is completely biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable, with no petrochemical components.
“It’s made from FSC certified timber, and has a natural coating applied in a particular way to allow for perfectly even surface tension, which means it has greater performance capacity for greaseproof and wet strength applications.
“When supplied in roll form from us, there is no core, meaning no waste from the core, and it’s wrapped in the same material it’s made from – it’s a zero waste product. Once you’ve used the roll, you can use the wrapping as well,” he said.
