Toppan has announced that Toppan Group film manufacturer Irplast has been awarded Silver in the Sustainability Design Award category at Interpack 2026, a leading international packaging industry trade fair held in Düsseldorf, Germany.
This award was presented as part of the SAVE FOOD initiative promoted by organizations including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to reduce food waste. The award-winning solution was selected from a competitive pool of over 100 advanced packaging solutions from exhibitors.
The award-winning solution from the Toppan Group’s European bases is a recycle-ready mono-material retort pouch recognized for its high technological innovation and environmental contribution. The pouch was developed through close collaboration, combining the technologies of Irplast and the unique barrier capabilities of Toppan Packaging Czech, the Toppan Group’s production facility for barrier films in Europe.
Key features
The award-winning pouch utilizes a mono-polypropylene (Mono-PP) structure with excellent recyclability, while maintaining barrier performance, as well as heat and pressure resistance for retort sterilization on par with conventional multi-material structures.
Establishing Outstanding Thermostability and Outer Layer Strength through LISIM Technology:
The outer layer film of the pouch incorporates Irplast’s proprietary high-thermostable BOPP film produced using LISIM1, a simultaneous biaxial stretching technology. This enables dimensional stability and sealing stability even during retort sterilization temperatures of up to 137°C for a maximum of 60 minutes. It successfully balances a mono-material composition with high outer layer strength and excellent printability.
Aluminum-free configuration
By utilizing the PP grade of GL BARRIER, a transparent barrier film developed through Toppan’s proprietary technologies and produced by TCZ, the pouch enables long-term storage at ambient temperatures without using aluminum foil. This directly contributes to reducing food waste throughout the supply chain and in homes, while also providing high convenience through microwave-safe formatting.
Mono-material structure
Transitioning from traditional multi-material configurations containing aluminum foil and multiple polymers to this mono-material structure reduces environmental impact. Furthermore, the packaging is designed with a focus on future compatibility with growing PP collection and recycling streams in Europe and other regions.
Future Activities
Anticipating the tightening of global environmental regulations, such as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) in Europe, the mono-material retort pouch packaging has been engineered with “Regulatory Readiness” in mind. The Toppan Group aims to expand this solution into sectors requiring both retort sterilization and recyclability, including baby food, ready meals, and sauces.
Under its medium-term plan focused on “True Value Transformation,” the Toppan Group will continue to drive the circular economy by utilizing its local production for local consumption supply chains tailored to European and global markets, while striving to deliver sustainable packaging solutions.
