SABIC, LAMB WESTON AND OPACKGROUP TEAM UP TO CREATE SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING MADE WITH BIO-RENEWABLE polyethylene FROM USED COOKING OIL FOR FROZEN POTATO PRODUCTS
  • Packaging made with SABIC polymer that uses mass-balance certified bio-renewable feedstock from used frying oil achieves around 30% carbon footprint reduction and 20% thickness reduction of the coextrusion film.
  • The initiative targets comprehensive value chain between SABIC, Lamb Weston, and OPACKGROUP.
  • Lamb Weston first in industry to pack frozen pre-fried potato products in bags with SABIC’s certified bio-renewable polyethylene (PE), that is in the market since September this year. 

     

SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, has joined forces with Lamb Weston, a major global brand owner and producer of frozen potato products, in a closed-loop process designed to create low-weight sustainable packaging bags made with a thin coextrusion film structure.  At least 60% of the packaging is made with polymer using bio- feedstock from used cooking oil (UCO).

The process starts with collection of UCO from Lamb Weston’s production which is then converted  to bio- feedstock to produce certified bio-renewable SABIC® HDPE (high-density polyethylene) and SUPEER mLLDPE (metallocene linear low-density polyethylene) polymers. Final packaging contains at least 60% UCO-based bio-renewable polymer material as part of SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE portfolio. Oerlemans Plastics member of OPACKGROUP, a specialized manufacturer of flexible films and packaging, converts these polymers to a multilayer PE film for Lamb Weston pre-fried frozen potato products.

Khaled Al-Jalawi, Global Director of Circular Economy Business at SABIC, states: “We are excited about the collaboration with Lamb Weston and Opack Group in this closed-loop project. Such a project demonstrates the concept of circularity as it better utilize the UCO to produce circular polymers that is designed for recyclability and via a closed loop approach.”

The new Lamb Weston retail packaging has an overall renewable feedstock content of at least 60%, which is certified from the polymers to the film. This is in line with the widely acknowledged International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS mass balancing regime for tracking and tracing the renewable content in materials.

Sebastiaan Besems, VP Commercial EMEA from Lamb Weston comments: “Distributors, retailers and consumers have become increasingly conscious of their environmental impact and show a growing preference for more sustainable packaging. We have anticipated this trend and developed an industry-leading bio-circular retail packaging solution for our pre-fried frozen potato products that provides a highly responsible value proposition. As part of our ambitious sustainability plans and innovations for the frozen potato category, the brand’s new European retail pack is made with 60% bio-circular plastic[1] originating from Lamb Weston’s used cooking oil and is ISCC PLUS certified. By using SABIC’s bio-renewable polymer, less and better packaging, this innovation reduces the carbon footprint of our retail bags by 30%[2], aligning with consumer expectations that FMCG brands are as environmentally friendly as possible. The success of this project also meets with our goals to halve our food waste, cut our overall product carbon footprint by 25% and move to more circular production by 2030.”

Laura Hanegraaf, Sales Manager at Oerlemans Plastics (subsidiary OPACKGROUP) adds: “The project solidifies the committed efforts we have undertaken with SABIC to promote low carbon and renewable products within our industry and represents a significant advancement. It allows us to offer our customers high-quality flexible film products made with renewable material from used cooking oil.”

The combination of 20% reduced film thickness - the resulting bags have an average unit weight of only 10 g - and the use of bio-renewable SABIC® PE enables approximately 30% lower carbon footprint than the previous bags for this application. The SABIC® HDPE resin in the film structure delivers high strength and flexibility, while the SUPEER mLLDPE resin lends excellent bag sealing. Both materials comply with the requirements of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the U.S. Federal Drug & Food Administration (FDA) for food-contact.

Following extensive testing and evaluation, the first frozen potato products packed in bags made with Oerlemans’s multi-layer film using certified renewable PE polymers from SABIC have been launched by Lamb Weston in September in the UK and the Netherlands.

SABIC, Lamb Weston and OPACKGROUP team up in a value chain project to create sustainable packaging made with SABIC’s bio-renewable PE from used cooking oil for frozen potato products.

 

 

ABOUT SABIC

SABIC is a global diversified chemicals company, headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It manufactures on a global scale in the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific, making distinctly different kinds of products:  chemicals, commodity and high performance plastics, and agri-nutrients.

SABIC supports its customers by identifying and developing opportunities in key end-use applications such as Mobility, Hygiene & Healthcare, Electrical & Electronics, Packaging, Agriculture, Consumer Products, and Building & Construction.

The company has close to 29,000 employees worldwide, serving customers in more than 140 countries. Fostering innovation and a spirit of ingenuity, SABIC has nearly 11,000 patents and pending applications, and has significant research resources with innovation hubs in five key geographies – USA, Europe, Middle East, South Asia and North Asia.

ABOUT LAMB WESTON

Lamb Weston is a leading supplier of frozen potato, sweet potato, appetizer and vegetable products to restaurants and retailers around the world. For more than 70 years, Lamb Weston has led the industry in innovation, introducing inventive products that simplify back-of-house management for its customers and make things more delicious for consumers. From the fields where Lamb Weston potatoes are grown to proactive customer partnerships, Lamb Weston always strives for more and never settles. Because, when we look at a potato, we see possibilities.

Lamb Weston products can be found in more than 100 countries around the world. The company is headquartered in Eagle, Idaho, with manufacturing operations in eight countries strategically located in the world’s best potato-growing regions. Lamb Weston employs approximately 10,300 people around the world.

ABOUT OPACKGROUP

OPACKGROUP has been investing in making its product offerings more sustainable for decades. The family business produces customer-specific, flexible packaging and films of high quality. New packaging concepts made of plastic and paper are constantly being developed through extrusion, lamination, flexo printing and conversion. The manufacturer consists of seven subsidiaries and ten production sites (Fardem, Flexpak, Oerlemans Plastics, Oosterwolde Plastic Industry, Perfon, Plasthill and Stempher) which collectively supply a wide range of packaging and film products.

1 60% Bio-circular plastic via mass balance approach, ISCC PLUS certified, supporting the bioeconomy.

2 Carbon footprint reduction of 30% calculated against previous Lamb Weston retail packaging, made from 100% fossil-based material and 20% thicker PE-film.

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