In response to the increasing environmental concerns surrounding packaging waste in the fresh bread market, Treetop Biopak has introduced a solution with its new home compostable bags for bread.
Treetop Biopak’s innovation recognizes the environmental impact of millions of plastic bread bags used daily by consumers and food service providers. It aims to address the challenges of sustainability within the bakery industry.
Unlike conventional plastic bags, which often end up in landfill or are incinerated due to low recycling rates, Treetop Biopak’s compostable bags offer a sustainable end-of-life solution. The bags are designed to compost once discarded correctly, not leaving any microplastics or pollutants behind, providing an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional fresh bakery products packaging.
One of the longstanding challenges with compostable bags has been maintaining the freshness of the packaged bread. Treetop Biopak has developed a single-layer material with higher barrier properties specifically designed for bakery products. This innovative material not only meets the sustainability criteria but also addresses the freshness issue by maintaining the shelf life of fresh bread products.
Through rigorous testing, Treetop Biopak’s compostable bags demonstrated impressive shelf-life results, including 7-10 days with sliced bloomer and sourdough bread. The bags, supplied on wickets, also showed excellent machinability when integrated into automatic bread bagging lines, ensuring smooth and efficient operations for bakeries and manufacturers.
In addition to fresh bread, the high barrier compostable material has been successfully tested on flow wrapping machines with morning goods and bakery products such as pancakes and small cakes. These trials further confirm the versatility of the material, proving its effectiveness in various bakery applications while maintaining the necessary shelf life.
Recent consumer research by McKinsey’s highlights a significant change in preference, with consumers ranking compostable packaging as the most sustainable choice, surpassing both paper and recycled materials. Opting for compostable packaging not only reflects environmental awareness but also establishes brands as distinctive choices for discerning consumers.
Treetop Biopak’s introduction of compostable bread bags signifies a major step towards reducing the environmental impact of plastic in the industry. By offering a sustainable packaging solution that aligns with the principles of circular economy, these bags have the potential to make a substantial difference in the plastic footprint of manufacturers, retailers, and brands alike.
Treetop Biopak founder Amir Gross states: “We are committed to enabling clients to balance their quality and performance with consumer requirements for compostable solutions to reduce waste plastic. This allows a whole range of goods to maintain their freshness, ensure the required shelf life, while minimizing any impact on the environment.”
Treetop Biopak is a specialist in compostable packaging materials such as bags, cling film, stretch film and shrink wrap. It aims to help customers implement new compostable solutions that are efficient, easily integrated to production processes, and are also competitive in cost.
