Rani Plast’s high performance beverage shrink film is made of recycled raw material

Recognising the clear trend for beverage companies to demand more sustainable packaging, Rani Plast is using its in-house laboratory testing capability and trials programmes to ensure that RaniCollationShrink EcoL 70% performs to the necessary standards, so that customers can rely fully on the performance of packaging using high percentages of recycled raw material.

Importantly, beverage shrink film comprising 70% recycled material represents a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to beverage shrink film using 100% virgin polyethylene.

Jan Knutar, Rani Plast’s Sales Manager, said customers needed reassurance that the technical and mechanical properties of the new sustainable film can meet logistics demands including transportation, storage and shelf life and marketing requirements like printing and film transparency.

He emphasises Rani Plast’s know-how and its appreciation of the standards required by packaging machinery manufacturers. “Our own research and development has seen RaniCollationShrink EcoL undergo a wide range of tests including elongation for strength, shrinkage, puncture resistance, impact resistance and resistance to dropping,” he said. He reports that the new shrink films equal the performance of standard shrink film and that Rani Plast is increasing the use of recycled raw material in their ongoing quest for sustainability.

“Because we have successfully reduced waste in our own manufacturing processes, we buy in recycled raw materials from a number of raw material suppliers with whom we have developed close relationships,” explained Jan. “Now we want to encourage our beverage customers to tell us how sustainability is reshaping the industry,” Jan adds.

In terms of the film’s transparency, feel and look, Jan Knutar said that RaniCollationShrink EcoL “looks good and performs outstandingly well”, adding that it can be printed with Rani Plast’s latest flexo printing technology offering customers high visibility branding opportunities. Standard and matt finishes can also be achieved. Both films are completely recyclable.

He said that Rani Plast can provide customers with figures from a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) stating precisely how much CO2 emission is saved by using film containing recycled raw materials. “All these numbers are available to purchasers and marketing teams,” said Jan.

For customers looking for a completely carbon neutral product, Rani Plast can offer RaniCollationShrink BioB, using polyethylene made from 100% renewable raw materials like sugar cane and tall oil, the latter derived from the pine tree. We now also offer a hybrid version with a mix of recycled and biobased polyethylene.

Jan Knutar said he was confident that Rani Plast’s new sustainable products will meet the demands of beverage brands operating in a highly competitive retail sector.

For more information on our high performance beverage shrink film and other smart packaging solutions please contact: