FDBusiness.com

 Skinny-epak is an innovative, new, eco- friendly container for liquid food which reduces the consumption of plastic by 60 per cent, according to Italian makers Meclat, which teamed up with Internovato produce the pack.

Meclat holds the patent for ‘EPAK’ which is a rigid bottle design of pyramidal geometry used as the frame in the new container. Internova is the patent holder for ‘Skinny’ for moulding of bottles with two different components.

The Skinny-epak is a middle way between a carton style lined ‘brik’ and a classical plastic or glass bottle. This new concept uses an eco-friendly packaging film that, while maintaining the functionality of a rigid pack, is lightweight, flexible, and reduces the consumption of plastic. Two colour packs are also possible.

Containers are stackable during transit and can reduce transport and storage costs by up to 700 percent, says Meclat. Normally a traditional lorry load of empty containers consists of about 54,000 units. With Skinny-epak almost 388,000 containers are possible.

This type of container is aimed at medium-sized dairies where efficient use of storage and production facilities is at a premium.  Skinny-epak can also be used on existing machinery and packaging systems with minimal adaption required to handle the new containers.

Filling can proceed without the need for further processes such as disinfection. The bottles can be loaded and stacked in the machine and are automatically bottom- filled, heat sealed and trimmed. High speeds (between 500 and 8,000bph) can be achieved as the film is shatterproof.

It is therefore able to meet the production needs of small dairies or farms as well as plants with higher capacity. The same machine can pack containers of different capacities and for different products such as milk and yogurt. The patented, shatterproof laminated film IMS (In Mould Shield) also ensures excellent barrier properties against oxygen, light, moisture and gas. Skinnye-pak is therefore suitable for liquid products with a long shelf-life.

With Skinny-epak it is possible to print on five faces of the pyramid – four sides and on the bottom and can be customised at the point of production for each customer. IMS, the method used for printing, also protects the contents – avoiding any risk of contamination and migration from ink even during sterilization or pasteurization, up to 128 °C. The excellent graphics, obtained by Flexo and gravure printing, allows the use of up to ten colours at 180 dpi. The base, which is welded on the bottom, is already provided with printing chosen by the customer.

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