Recyclable. Recycled content. Compostable. Monolayer. Paper. Corn-based.

Confectionery and candy processors interested in sustainable packaging film may feel like they are a child in a playground.

But, putting sweet products in sustainable packaging isn’t all sweetness. This often means that there are tradeoffs between factors such as cost, product protection, and line speed.

As a sector, candy/confectionery is well-suited for sustainable initiatives. The packaging is often sold in small quantities, making it more susceptible to becoming litter. Its consumers are often young, making it more likely that they will let environmental concerns affect their buying decisions.

All major candy companies have committed to sustainable packaging. Mars Wrigley, Ferrara and Ferrara both pledged that their packaging would be 100% sustainable by 2025. Hershey also has the same goal for 2030.

What does sustainability mean for packaging films? It helps to understand why standard packaging film is not sustainable.

Multilayered film is used to package candy, regardless of whether it is individually wrapped or bagged. The inner layer acts as a sealant and sticks to itself when it is pressed against the hot or cold jaws a bagger or flowrapper. The product graphics are on the outer layer. Both layers must protect from moisture (a major issue with sugary products), and oxygen.

While this setup is good for protecting the product, it poses sustainability problems. The problem is that these layers are often made of incompatible polymers. The outer sealant layer is typically made of polyethylene. While the inner one is usually made from polypropylene or nylon, it can also be made from polypropylene, polypropylene or polyester. Film that contains these polymers is nearly impossible to recycle due to the chemical differences between them. This is on top of the usual difficulty in recycling flexible film which many recycling centers lack the equipment to handle.

The film can be made entirely from one polymer. This is a way of avoiding compatibility problems.

ProAmpac is an example of this latter. The outer layer and inner sealant layers of this film are made from polyethylene. However, the inner layer can melt and seal while the outer layer provides stiffness as well as a suitable print surface. Nathan Klettlinger is ProAmpac’s global marketing director. He says that the inner layer was designed to provide an oxygen barrier. He says that the film protects the product as well as other multi-polymer films and can be used on many filling machines at the same rate.

Klettlinger states that there are always tradeoffs in any structural change. However, we have been able get very, very close conventional laminates and the benefit of recyclability.

Jeff King, senior vice president of global sustainability and social impact, said that Hershey Co. found these tradeoffs to the greatest challenge when using single-polymer film.

King states that the greatest challenges lie in manufacturing, product, and consumer function. “Our current materials are optimized for high-speed conversion. They have been optimized over many years to deliver barrier and print functionality. This is not possible when only one-material structures are used.”

Mars Wrigley is making progress towards mono-polymer material by using a few of its overseas packages. This includes a mono-polymer pouch to hold M&Ms in France, and a paper-based flow wrapping for its Balisto bars in Germany.

Plastics for second-life

Recycled content is another option for film sustainability. Although it is difficult or impossible to find 100% post-consumer recycled film, there are alternatives that can be guaranteed to contain a certain percentage. ProAmpac offers bag material with 25% PCR, for example. Justin’s LLC, a Hormel gourmet nut butter unit, has received this material from it to package its nut-butter-covered almonds.

The problem with PCR film is the same as other packaging made from recycled material: there’s not enough. CPG companies need PCR resin to make water bottles, and the U.S. recycling rate just isn’t high enough. This results in uncertain supplies and volatile pricing.

Chris Higgins, regional sales manager for the central U.S. at Matrix Packaging Machinery is a supplier of bagging machinery. Higgins states that the film tends to stretch more than other materials. This can lead to problems during machine handling. It’s not a major issue, but it does mean that you have to run at a lower speed.

You can also move away completely from traditional polymers and into other materials. Performance is the biggest challenge.

A Mars Wrigley spokesperson said that conventional packaging is equipped with barrier properties to protect products and maintain the quality consumers demand. This is more difficult with other materials such as paper and compostable film, so it is important to conduct smaller-scale testing to determine performance and feasibility.

One option is paper. It is inexpensive and easy to recognize as a sustainable product by consumers. Nestle uses paper packaging to package its Smarties hard candies after it launched the package in the UK last January.

Paper has its drawbacks. Paper must be coated or layered to provide sufficient protection. This reduces its ability to be recycled. It is also more fragile than most plastics and can be difficult to transport.

The film that disappears

Compostable film is more viable from a performance perspective. It is designed to biodegrade, unlike plastic which can last for decades. A candy processor can make a splash by using compostable film to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability. Mars Wrigley will soon release compostable packaging for Skittles, either late in the year or early next.

Loving Earth is a candy manufacturer that distributes in Australia, New Zealand, and other locations in Asia and the U.S. using only compostable materials for wrapping and bags. Loving Earth will pay more for compostable film because sustainability is an integral part of its core values.

Emil Kroll, product management manager, says that compostable plastic is more expensive than fossil-based, widely-used plastic. This is because these technologies are still being developed. “Regeneration is a key pillar of the business. It’s vital that packaging can survive beyond the end of the waste cycle.

Loving Earth can use both printed and clear compostable films. The difference between the two is emblematic for the choices that all compostable film users have to make. Clear film can be composted in a regular home composting container; printed film must go to an industrial composting facility, where it will be broken down at high temperatures and pressure.

The most common commercially available compostable film made from polylactic Acid (PLA), which is a biopolymer derived primarily from cornstarch, is readily available. PLA film must usually be composted in an industrial setting. This severely affects PLA film’s environmental status, as very few U.S. cities offer industrial composting for solid waste.

ProAmpac has a variety of grades of compostable films, including PLA for industrial composting. There are also a few made with biopolymers suitable for home composting.

Klettlinger states that if you compare the three – PCR recyclable, compostable and compostable – the compostable option is usually the most expensive. {“You’re using a more limited resin set, which pushes that You’re using a smaller resin set which makes the price’ much higher.

Another issue is performance. Sometimes engineering is required to get a package made of PLA or another type of compostable film to seal properly.

Kelly Williams, Sustainability Strategist for the Futamura Group that supplies NatureFlex compostable film, says, “Our films will seal, but not a hermetic sealing.”

“More like an underwrap that you can hand-peel open.” This works for some customers; for those who need a tighter seal, pairing biopolymer sealant film is an option.

Adjusting the machinery

After a sustainable packaging film has been settled, it must be able to run on the existing equipment. This usually means that adjustments are required. Kroll states that they had to adapt their wrapping machines to the specific materials, and have developed methods to make them work.

The material being used to make the adjustment will depend on how different it is from conventional laminated plastic films. Some fundamental adjustments may be required for something like paper which has a higher coefficient.

“If a customer wants to change from a traditional plastic film to one made from paper, there are a few things that can be done. For example, you might use a low-stress form set or add a power unwind to pull the paper film from behind the machine. This will reduce stress and prevent tears,” states Emily Brogan, marketing manager at . The manufacturer of bagging equipment.

According to Mike Wolf, product manager, most of the sustainable films that Triangle Packaging Machinery sees are monolayer. These films require extra effort to seal because they don’t have a separate structure layer.

Triangle has a specially designed air-cooled sealing solution for this purpose. The hot jaws melt the film to form a seal. They are held in place by grippers that are above and below the sealing jaws.

It can be difficult to design and implement sustainable packaging. However, it is possible to use it in a way that appeals to consumers.