SIG has recently announced that it has launched the world’s first aluminium-free full barrier packaging materials for aseptic carton packs, SIGNATURE EVO. SIGNATURE EVO extends SIG’s lower-carbon aluminium-free packaging materials – already available for plain white milk – for wider use with oxygen-sensitive products such as fruit juices, nectars, flavoured milk or plant-based beverages.
Ali Kaylan, SVP Innovation at SIG stated – “By extending our Signature portfolio with SIGNATURE EVO – the world’s first aluminium-free packaging materials for aseptic cartons with full barrier protection – we are taking the next step in our aluminium-free journey and underlining our position as an industry leader in sustainable innovations. We are delighted to give our customers additional opportunities to bring low-impact packaging solutions to more categories and more consumers around the world. Sustainable innovations like this are central to SIG’s commitment to partner with customers and go way beyond good for people and the planet.”
Industry-leading sustainable innovation
This has been the latest evolution in the SIGNATURE portfolio – the innovative offering from SIG, being the most sustainable packaging materials available for aseptic carton packs.
SIG has led the industry with the first ever aluminium-free solutions for aseptic cartons. By eliminating the need for an aluminium foil barrier layer, combibloc ECOPLUS cut the carbon footprint of the company’s standard packaging material by 27%, when launched in 2010. It cut this further in 2017, offering a 58% lower carbon footprint than SIG’s standard packaging material by linking the polymers to 100% renewable forest-based materials via a certified mass-balance system.
With more than 1.9 billion packs currently sold with these aluminium-free long-life packaging solutions for liquid dairy products, SIG has built on this success to create the first full barrier aluminium-free solutions for aseptic cartons.
The packaging materials are expected to offer a similar carbon footprint reduction to combibloc Ecoplus, to be confirmed through an independent, critically-reviewed life-cycle assessment. Like all packs, Signature EVO is completely recyclable in existing recycling streams.
Extending aluminium-free solutions to more products
With barrier properties comparable to standard aseptic cartons that include an aluminium foil barrier layer, its packaging materials ensure that even oxygen-sensitive products are protected over long periods of time without the need for refrigeration. This enables customers to bring the environmental benefits to many more food and beverage categories.
It will initially be launched in the combibloc mini portion-sized format before being extended to other formats. It is suitable for both oxygen-insensitive products like plain white UHT milk and oxygen-sensitive products like fruit juices, nectars, flavoured milk or plant-based beverages.
Standing out with SIG’s most sustainable packaging solutions
Signature EVO increases opportunities for customers to differentiate their products with an aluminium-free pack that offers both on-shelf appeal and stand-out environmental credentials.
In future, it will also be available in more options such as SIGNATURE EVO 100 – SIG’s full barrier solution for aseptic carton packs linked to 100% renewable forest-based materials.
The announcement reinforces SIG’s position in the market as the leading supplier of aluminium-free aseptic carton packaging solutions. Moreover, it also underlines SIG’s commitment to offer the most sustainable food packaging solutions in the market, as it goes way beyond good for customers, society and the environment.