Sabic has partnered with renowned global brand owner and producer of frozen potato products, Lamb Weston, and flexible packaging producer, Opackgroup. Together, they are implementing a closed-loop process aimed at creating lightweight, sustainable packaging bags constructed from a thin coextrusion film structure.
Notably, at least 60% of the packaging consists of polymer derived from bio-feedstock sourced from used cooking oil (UCO).
The process initiates with the collection of UCO from Lamb Weston’s production facilities. This UCO is converted into bio-feedstock, enabling the creation of certified bio-renewable Sabic HDPE (high-density polyethylene) and SUPEER mLLDPE (metallocene linear low-density polyethylene) polymers. The final packaging thus contains a minimum of 60% UCO-based bio-renewable polymer material, forming part of Sabic’s Trucircle portfolio. Oerlemans Plastics, a member of Opackgroup and a specialist in flexible films and packaging, transforms these polymers into multilayer PE film for Lamb Weston’s pre-fried frozen potato products.
Khaled Al-Jalawi, global director of circular economy business at Sabic, expresses enthusiasm about this partnership with Lamb Weston and Opack Group in this innovative closed-loop project.
“Such a project demonstrates the concept of circularity as it better utilises the UCO to produce circular polymers that are designed for recyclability and via a closed-loop approach,” he states.
The newly developed Lamb Weston retail packaging boasts an overall renewable feedstock content of at least 60%, certified from the polymers through to the film. This aligns with the widely recognised International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS mass balancing regime, which effectively tracks and traces the renewable content in materials.
Sebastiaan Besems, VP commercial EMEA at Lamb Weston, comments on the company’s foresight regarding the rise of environmental consciousness and the increasing demand for sustainable packaging. He highlights that the brand has developed an industry-leading bio-circular retail packaging solution for its pre-fried frozen potato products, offering 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 originating from Lamb Weston’s used cooking oil and is ISCC PLUS certified,” Besems further explains. “By using Sabic’s bio-renewable polymer, we are promoting less and more effective packaging. This innovation reduces the carbon footprint of our retail bags by 30%, meeting consumer expectations for environmentally friendly practices. The success of this project also aligns with our objectives to halve food waste, cut our overall product carbon footprint by 25%, and transition to more circular production by 2030.”
Laura Hanegraaf, sales manager at Oerlemans Plastics (a subsidiary of Opackgroup), adds: “The project solidifies our dedicated efforts with SABIC to promote low-carbon and renewable products within our industry and represents a significant advancement. It enables us to provide customers with high-quality flexible film products made from renewable materials sourced from used cooking oil.”
The combination of a 20% reduction in film thickness results in bags with an average unit weight of only 10 g. Additionally, the use of bio-renewable Sabic PE enables approximately 30% lower carbon emissions compared to previous bags used in this application. The Sabic HDPE resin within the film structure offers high strength and flexibility, while the SUPEER mLLDPE resin ensures effective sealing. Both materials comply with the stringent safety requirements of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the US Federal Drug & Food Administration (FDA) for food contact.
Following intensive testing and evaluation, the initial launch of frozen potato products packaged in bags made from Oerlemans’s multilayer film, utilizing certified renewable PE polymers from Sabic, took place in September in the UK and the Netherlands.
