GB2455599A - A compostable/biodegradable plastic and paper laminate packaging bag - Google Patents

A compostable/biodegradable plastic and paper laminate packaging bag Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2455599A
GB2455599A GB0814645A GB0814645A GB2455599A GB 2455599 A GB2455599 A GB 2455599A GB 0814645 A GB0814645 A GB 0814645A GB 0814645 A GB0814645 A GB 0814645A GB 2455599 A GB2455599 A GB 2455599A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
bag
pack
compostable
sheet material
layer
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
GB0814645A
Other versions
GB0814645D0 (en
GB2455599B (en
Inventor
Richard Page
Keith Robinson
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
WAGG FOODS Ltd
Original Assignee
WAGG FOODS Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from GB0703700A external-priority patent/GB0703700D0/en
Application filed by WAGG FOODS Ltd filed Critical WAGG FOODS Ltd
Publication of GB0814645D0 publication Critical patent/GB0814645D0/en
Publication of GB2455599A publication Critical patent/GB2455599A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of GB2455599B publication Critical patent/GB2455599B/en
Active legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D31/00—Bags or like containers made of paper and having structural provision for thickness of contents
    • B65D31/02—Bags or like containers made of paper and having structural provision for thickness of contents with laminated walls
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B32—LAYERED PRODUCTS
    • B32B—LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
    • B32B27/00—Layered products comprising a layer of synthetic resin
    • B32B27/36—Layered products comprising a layer of synthetic resin comprising polyesters
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D65/00—Wrappers or flexible covers; Packaging materials of special type or form
    • B65D65/38—Packaging materials of special type or form
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D65/00—Wrappers or flexible covers; Packaging materials of special type or form
    • B65D65/38—Packaging materials of special type or form
    • B65D65/40—Applications of laminates for particular packaging purposes
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D65/00—Wrappers or flexible covers; Packaging materials of special type or form
    • B65D65/38—Packaging materials of special type or form
    • B65D65/46—Applications of disintegrable, dissolvable or edible materials
    • B65D65/466—Bio- or photodegradable packaging materials
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D75/00—Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes, or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers
    • B65D75/008—Standing pouches, i.e. "Standbeutel"
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02W—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT
    • Y02W90/00—Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions mitigation
    • Y02W90/10—Bio-packaging, e.g. packing containers made from renewable resources or bio-plastics

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Biodiversity & Conservation Biology (AREA)
  • Bag Frames (AREA)
  • Laminated Bodies (AREA)

Abstract

The packaging bag comprises panels including a base 10, opposing side walls 12 and opposing end walls 14 defining a cavity 4. The panels 10, 12, 14 are composed of at least one layer/plurality of paper based sheet material 20 and at least one/plurality layer of compostable/biodegradable plastic material 22 such as polylactic acid (PLA) or cellophane to provide the lining of the inner walls of the cavity. The respective layers are laminated together using a biodegradable and compostable adhesive at spaced locations. The bag may have additional layers or may have a 2-ply composition wherein the external face is formed of a paper based material and the inner face is of a compostable plastic material. An internal cavity 4 is provided into which the contents is placed and then enclosed by heat sealing the opening 6. The outer surface 16 is adapted to receive ink thereon so as to provide the required information on the external face 16 of the bag.

Description

Improvements to Packaging The invention to which this application relates is to an improvement to packaging in the form of bags and, more particularly, bags which include one or more ply of paper or paper based sheet material.
The provision of bags, such as square or rectangular base bags known as SOS bags, which includes one or more ply of paper based sheet material, is well known. It is also well known to provide these bags with an outer layer of plastics material laminated to the paper based sheet material, and to use this outer layer to receive ink to provide a particularly attractive external appearance as the plastics material is more susceptible to receive and retain ink patterns printed thereon. Typically, the ink patterns are applied to the plastic sheet material and the plastics sheet material is then subsequently laminated to the remainder of the bag.
For certain products which are retained within the bag, such as for example, pet foods, the same incorporate oils and/or fats, which have a tendency to migrate through the paper based sheet material and form externally visible dark "spots", of fat and oils.
This is regarded as being unattractive to potential purchasers of the product and therefore there is a tendency to provide, on the inner layer of the paper based sheet material, a further plastics sheet material which acts as a liner and serves to prevent the oils and fats in the pet food product held within the bag, from reaching the paper base sheet material and hence prevents the same from migrating through it.
An alternative form of bag packaging which is used, for items such as pet products, is to form the bag entirely of plastics sheet material whether that be in one or multiple piys.
In each of these prior art types of bagging, there is a problem in that the same cannot be easily disposed of and, with increasing environmental concerns about the disposability of waste packaging, the applicant has identified that there is a significant disposal problem now and in the future with either of the conventional bag formations. This problem is that the bags cannot be easily disposed of as, typically, the same are not formed of biodegradable material and certainly are not provided
to be compostable.
It is known to provide bags which can be provided empty and then filled with waste by a consumer and then the bag and the waste is compostable. However that is a different problem to that addressed in the current invention which is to provide a retail pack, i.e. a bag which is initially filled with contents and in which the contents are required to be held in a predefined condition for period of time during which the bag cannot start to compost or the integrity and strength of the bag would be adversely affected. The problem is therefore how to provide the retail pack with the required shelf life and which can subsequently, when empty, be composted.
At the same time, the applicant is aware of the need to ensure that the outward appearance of the packaging can still be of a form to suit both customer expectations, and to provide the packaging in a form which, if the same is used to package materials which have components may migrate through the packaging, to take steps from preventing this from occurring.
There is also a need for the packaging, with content therein, to form a retail pack which can be placed on display for potential purchase and remain in a condition over a period of time, such as for example 12 months, during which time the contents are maintained in the required condition and the packaging is sufficiently robust so as to protect the contents and form the retail pack which can be carried, and subsequently used, to dispense portions of the contents over time.
An aim of the present invention is therefore to provide a packaging bag which is of a form which is at least biodegradable and preferably compostable. A further aim is to provide a packaging bag which is compostable and which allows promotional and/or information material to be printed on the outer surface of the bag and also to prevent the migration of oils and fats therethrough and to provide the packaging in a form which allows a robust retail pack to be provided.
In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a retail pack comprising a bag with panels including walls and a base and defining a cavity in which the contents of the retail pack are held, said bag having an opening into the cavity, and said panels including at least one layer of paper based sheet material and at least one further layer of compostable plastics sheet material and wherein the retail pack is provided so as to be maintained substantially in its original form in the ambient environmental conditions in which the same is to be displayed and used and to be compostable when empty and exposed to specific environmental conditions which differ to the ambient environmental conditions and wherein the compostable plastics sheet material forms the inner surface of the cavity of the bag.
The provision of the retail pack in a form which allows the integrity of the same to be maintained in the predicted environment for display and use of the contents means that the integrity and life of the retail pack can be many months and therefore match the life of conventional retail packs with the same contents such as pet food packs. However by providing the retail pack so as to be compostable under certain conditions, so the disposability of the retail pack is achieved.
In one embodiment the specific environmental conditions to which the retail pack is exposed to render the same compostable is at least 5O% humidity and a temperature of at least 50 degrees Celsius. Typically under these conditions the retail pack is compostable within 60 days.
In one embodiment, the at least one layer of plastics sheet material, is preferably formed of Poly Lactic Acid (PLA), or derivatives thereof, or alternatively cellophane. PLA is obtained from corn starch and cellophane is a wood based product, thereby making both alternatives, fully compostable.
It is found that PLA is preferable to be used when the contents of the retail pack are required to be protected from the effect of moisture. The PLA is particularly effective in preventing moisture emissions or leakage from the contents of the pack through the pack walls.
In one embodiment, the plastics sheet material is adhered to adjacent paper based sheet material to form at least a 2-piy bag panel. In one embodiment the plastics sheet material is used to form the inner surface facing into the cavity and hence in contact with the contents of the pack. The provision of the PLA Lining prevents the passage of moisture therethrough and therefore allows certain contents such as pet food, to retain the required moisture content and hence achieve the required lifespan of the retail pack. Typically, the lining is provided when the items to be held within the bag, are known to include components which may migrate through the paper based sheet material. Thus, the plastics sheet material, is provided of a thickness and type so as to prevent or minimise, the possibility of contact of said components with the paper based sheet material.
In one embodiment, the outer layer of the retail pack is formed of paper, typically white Kraft paper, and has water based inks printed thereon to provide an externally visible display.
Typically a second paper layer, perhaps of brown Kraft paper is provided which lies intermediate the outer paper layer and the layer of plastics material.
In one embodiment, the ink is applied so as to provide information relating to the items held within the bag and/or promotional material.
Typically, the plastics sheet material is laminated to a face of the adjacent paper based sheet material using an adhesive which is known to be compostable or at least biodegradable.
In one embodiment, the bag is of a type which has a base, side walls depending therefrom and, at the distal ends of the side walls, there is defined the opening.
In one embodiment, the opening is selectively sealable using heat sealing means on the plastics material inner layer to thereby trap the items held in the bag therein, typically for subsequent transport of the retail packs and display of the packs for purchase. Thus, the items held within the same can have the required shelf life on display and still be provided in a compostable bag. Typically the at least one layer of plastics sheet material is used to achieve the sealing of the opening by heat sealing methods.
In one embodiment, the contents within the retail pack, are animal foodstuffs and are therefore sealed within the retail pack until purchased and opened for consumption.
In one embodiment, the paper which is used to form the paper based sheet material, is virgin or non recycled paper. However if in due course recycled paper is available which is of sufficient strength this could equally well be used.
In a further aspect of the invention there is provided a bag for a foodstuff to be retained therein, said bag comprising a base and side walls, and the distal ends of said side walls from said base define an opening, said side walls and base formed of a plurality of plys of sheet material, at least one of the plys formed of paper based sheet material and another further ply is formed of a compostable plastic sheet material which forms the inner face of the bag, said bag, when empty provided to be compostable in specific environmental conditions which differ to those in which the bag and contents are provided to be used and in which the condition of the bag and contents are substantially maintained for a predefined lifetime.
By compostable is meant that the sheet material used to form the walls and/or base, is capable of being composted as well as the other components used to form the bag. The bag may also, in one embodiment, meet industry standards so as to be classed as compostable. Preferably the pack is of a form so as to be certified compostable to BS EN 13432. In particular the retail pack is broken down within 60 days in a commercial composting process. Typically in this process the temperature is maintained at at least 50 degrees Celsius and 50% humidity. There is therefore provided in accordance with the invention a bag which is certified by the Composting Association of the United Kingdom as compostable and which can be composted through industrial composting processes. It can therefore be stated to consumers, typically via printing on the bag, that the packaging or bag can be sent to local authority composting collection points for composting by the local authority. There are no other bags of this type known to be currently available.
In a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method of providing a compostable retail pack for a foodstuff,said method comprising providing an outer layer of paper based material, applying printing using water based inks to the external face thereof, attaching to the opposing face of the paper layer, a layer of compostable plastics material to line the interior of the pack, forming the multi-ply layers of material into a bag defining a cavity therein, at least partially filling the cavity with the foodstuff and heat sealing an opening into the cavity by applying heat to a portion of the compostable plastics material to form the retail pack, and the glue used to adhere the layers is a compostable glue, placing the retail pack on display and using the same in ambient environmental conditions in which the condition of the retail pack and foodstuff is substantially maintained and wherein the pack is rendered compostable by exposing the same to environmental conditions which differ from the ambient conditions in which the retail pack is provided to be displayed and in which the foodstuff is provided to be consumed.
In a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a bag for animal foodstuff to be retained therein, said bag comprising a base and side walls, and the distal ends of said side walls define an opening, said side walls and base formed of a plurality of plys of sheet material, at least one of the plys formed of paper based sheet material and characterised in that at least one of the further plys is formed of a compostable plastic sheet material.
In a further aspect of the invention there is provided a packaging bag wherein both the inner and external faces of the bag are formed of compostable plastics sheet material.
In one embodiment there is provided at least one layer of paper based sheet material intermediate inner and outer layers of the compostable plastic sheet material.
In a further aspect of the invention there is provided a packaging bag for retaining items in a cavity defined by panels including walls and a base, said bag having an opening into the cavity, said panels including at least one layer of paper based sheet material and characterised in that the panels include at least a further layer of a biodegradable and/or compostable plastics sheet material.
Specific embodiments of the invention are now described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:-Figure 1 illustrates one form of packaging bag in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 illustrates a cross sectional elevation of a wall of the packaging bag in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; and Figure 3 illustrates a cross sectional view through a side wall of a packaging bag in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
Referring firstly to Figure 1, there is illustrated a retail pack 2 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. In this particular example, the pack is provided for the packaging of feedstuff such as, for example, dog biscuits, therein. The pack is in the form of a packaging bag in which the contents are held in a sealed condition until portions of the foodstuff are required for consumption. An internal cavity 4 is provided into which the foodstuff is placed and then enclosed by the sealing of the opening 6. The bag is then transported for display at a retail outlet and it should be appreciated that the bag, in many instances, can be required to have a shelf life of up to one year during which the quality of the contents is required to be maintained. Once purchased, the opening 6 can be reopened and access gained into the cavity to remove portions of the foodstuff therefrom for consumption.
The bag comprises a base 10, opposing side walls 12 and opposing end walls 14. This type of bag is known as an SOS bag. The present invention provides a bag which can be manufactured in accordance with the form shown, or indeed other forms, which is wholly compostable. By compostable is meant that the bag, when the contents have been used up and the same is to be discarded as waste, will form a compost without any residue being left. Thus, the bag can be passed, typically to a commercial composting environment in which the same can be composted along with other waste of this form.
The walls and/or base of the bag are typically provided in the first example with a construction which comprises a paper based sheet material 20 which forms the core layer and a second layer of paper based sheet material 18 which forms the external face 16 of the bag as shown in Figure 2 which is a cross section along line A-A of part of the side wall 12 of Figure 1. A layer of plastic sheet material 22, for example, cellophane or PLA is provided to form a lining inner face of the bag walls. One specification for a bag of the type as shown in Figure 2 is provided below: Liner 22 comprises 2Omu PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) extruded film.
This film is applied to the layer 20 of brown Kraft ply, using a biodegradable and compostable adhesive at spaced locations.
The PLA is certified compostable to EN13432/DIN 54900.
This material provides a barrier against food, moisture and grease migration, and is heat-sealable, hence allowing the packs to be machine sealed on an automatic filling line.
Typically the layer 22 is adhered to the layer 20 via a series of portions of adhesive which are provided at spaced locations.
Preferably there is at least provided a portion of the adhesive to attach the layer 22 to the layer 20 around the periphery of the opening 6 so that the layers are adhered at the location at which the heat sealing of the bag opening occurs by applying heat to the plastics material and hence providing an effective seal.
The outer ply 18 comprises 70gsm brown or white Kraft paper.
White paper gives a more versatile printing surface, allowing for a greater spectrum of print colours using water based inks. In this example the layer 18 forms the outer face of the retail pack.
An alternative embodiment is shown in Figure 3 in which there is again provided a core layer 20 formed of at least one ply of paper based sheet material and the inner layer 22 is of a plastics sheet material which is compostable. Layers 20, 24 of paper based sheet material are provided and the layer 24 is laminated to a plastics sheet material 26 which forms the outer face 16 of the walls of the bag. A specification of a bag of this type is now provided.
Liner ply 22 comprises 2Omu PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) extruded film which has the properties of a polymer. This film is applied to layer 20, using a biodegradable adhesive. PLA is a certified composition to EN13432/ DIN 54900. This material provides barrier against food, moisture and grease migration and is heat-soluble -allowing the bags to be machine sealed on an automatic filling line.
Inner ply 20 comprises 70gsm brown Kraft paper.
Ply layer 24 comprises 7Ogsm brown or white Kraft paper and the outer laminate 26 comprises l2mu PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) extruded film which is used as an outer laminate for the bag.
A full colour design can be reverse printed onto this film, which will then be laminated onto the outer Kraft ply. This creates a "glossy" finish to the bag look, whilst retaining full compostability.
The outer face, in both embodiments, is provided to receive ink printed thereon so as to provide the required information and/or promotional visual appearance on the external face 16 of the bag. The internal sheet 22 of plastics material, acts as a liner so as to prevent the passage of oils and fats which are typically present in the foodstuff, into the paper base sheet material or indeed through the walls of the bag. This is found to prevent the formation of stains or dark spots on the external face of the bag and therefore maintains the pleasing visual appearance of the bag to potential purchasers. It also acts to maintain the moisture of the contents within the pack as the PLA is resistant to moisture leakage. This therefore means that for certain products, such as, for example, foodstuffs which are sensitive to moisture content, the required shelf life of the products can be achieved with the weight and condition of the feedstuff meeting the required standards.
In one embodiment the method of forming the retail pack starts with the provision of an outer layer of paper based material, and applying printing to the same as appropriate using water based inks to the face of the outer layer 18 which will ultimately form the outer face 16 of the bag. To the opposing face of the paper layer 18 there is attached a further paper layer 20, typically attached at least spaced locations to the layer 18 using a compostable adhesive. To the inner face of the layer 18 is attached a layer of PLA 22 which will act to line the interior of the subsequently formed pack. The PLA layer 22 will typically be adhered to the inner face using spaced portions of compostable adhesive with care being taken to ensure that there is a strong join around the periphery of the opening 6 for the sealing reasons stated previously. The multi-ply and joined layers of material can then be formed, using standard apparatus as appropriate, into a bag defining a cavity therein. The cavity is at least partially filled with the items to be held therein, such as a foodstuff and the opening is heat sealed by applying heat to a portion of the PLA material and hence form the retail pack.
The retail pack can then be placed on display and during display and subsequent use of the contents in ambient environmental conditions the condition of the retail pack is substantially maintained. The retail pack can be rendered compostable at any time, but typically once the contents have been used and only the bag is left, by exposing the same to environmental conditions in which the temperature is at least 50 degrees Celsius and the humidity is at least 50%.
Thus, there is provided in accordance with the invention, a compostable retail pack including a packaging bag is provided which can be used to retain items therein on a short or long term for, if required, display and retail purchasers. The compostable bag is provided in a form which allows the maintenance of foods held within the bag in the required form, allows the provision of promotional and/or other information on the external face of the bag in an acceptable manner and allows the integrity and use of the retail pack to be as that of a conventional non compostable pack in normal usage environment conditions. However by providing the pack as described, when the bag is to be discarded the same can be exposed to composting conditions which are significantly different to the normal usage environment and thereby render the bag to compost. The applicant has therefore recognised and provides the means for ensuring that a retail pack can be provided which meets the rec1uirements of the sellers, in terms of shelf life, attractiveness and integrity; is sufficiently robust to allow use by the consumer and furthermore, allows the packaging to be wholly regarded as waste in a compostable manner.
With the bags in accordance with the invention bcing compostable, then the same can, it is believed, be discarded along with normal garden waste and other compostable materials thereby providing significant advantages to the consumer and, as a result, making products which are packaged within this type of bag more appealing for purchase than products which may be packaged in the other conventional form of packaging. Improvements to Packaging The invention to which this application relates is to an improvement to packaging in the form of bags and, more particularly, bags which include one or more ply of paper or paper based sheet material.
The provision of bags, such as square or rectangular base bags known as SOS bags, which includes one or more ply of paper based sheet material, is well known. It is also well known to provide these bags with an outer layer of plastics material laminated to the paper based sheet material, and to use this outer layer to receive ink to provide a particularly attractive external appearance as the plastics material is more susceptible to receive and retain ink patterns printed thereon. Typically, the ink patterns are applied to the plastic sheet material and the plastics sheet material is then subsequently laminated to the remainder of the bag.
For certain products which are retained within the bag, such as for example, pet foods, the same incorporate oils and/or fats, which have a tendency to migrate through the paper based sheet material and form externally visible dark "spots", of fat and oils.
This is regarded as being unattractive to potential purchasers of the product and therefore there is a tendency to provide, on the inner layer of the paper based sheet material, a further plastics sheet material which acts as a liner and serves to prevent the oils and fats in the pet food product held within the bag, from reaching the paper base sheet material and hence prevents the same from migrating through it.
An alternative form of bag packaging which is used, for items such as pet products, is to form the bag entirely of plastics sheet material whether that be in one or multiple piys.
In each of these prior art types of bagging, there is a problem in that the same cannot be easily disposed of and, with increasing environmental concerns about the disposability of waste packaging, the applicant has identified that there is a significant disposal problem now and in the future with either of the conventional bag formations. This problem is that the bags cannot be easily disposed of as, typically, the same are not formed of biodegradable material and certainly are not provided
to be compostable.
It is known to provide bags which can be provided empty and then filled with waste by a consumer and then the bag and the waste is compostable. However that is a different problem to that addressed in the current invention which is to provide a retail pack, i.e. a bag which is initially filled with contents and in which the contents are required to be held in a predefined condition for period of time during which the bag cannot start to compost or the integrity and strength of the bag would be adversely affected. The problem is therefore how to provide the retail pack with the required shelf life and which can subsequently, when empty, be composted.
At the same time, the applicant is aware of the need to ensure that the outward appearance of the packaging can still be of a form to suit both customer expectations, and to provide the packaging in a form which, if the same is used to package materials which have components may migrate through the packaging, to take steps from preventing this from occurring.
There is also a need for the packaging, with content therein, to form a retail pack which can be placed on display for potential purchase and remain in a condition over a period of time, such as for example 12 months, during which time the contents are maintained in the required condition and the packaging is sufficiently robust so as to protect the contents and form the retail pack which can be carried, and subsequently used, to dispense portions of the contents over time.
An aim of the present invention is therefore to provide a packaging bag which is of a form which is at least biodegradable and preferably compostable. A further aim is to provide a packaging bag which is compostable and which allows promotional and/or information material to be printed on the outer surface of the bag and also to prevent the migration of oils and fats therethrough and to provide the packaging in a form which allows a robust retail pack to be provided.
In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a retail pack comprising a bag with panels including walls and a base and defining a cavity in which the contents of the retail pack are held, said bag having an opening into the cavity, and said panels including at least one layer of paper based sheet material and at least one further layer of compostable plastics sheet material and wherein the retail pack is provided so as to be maintained substantially in its original form in the ambient environmental conditions in which the same is to be displayed and used and to be compostable when empty and exposed to specific environmental conditions which differ to the ambient environmental conditions and wherein the compostable plastics sheet material forms the inner surface of the cavity of the bag.
The provision of the retail pack in a form which allows the integrity of the same to be maintained in the predicted environment for display and use of the contents means that the integrity and life of the retail pack can be many months and therefore match the life of conventional retail packs with the same contents such as pet food packs. However by providing the retail pack so as to be compostable under certain conditions, so the disposability of the retail pack is achieved.
In one embodiment the specific environmental conditions to which the retail pack is exposed to render the same compostable is at least 5O% humidity and a temperature of at least 50 degrees Celsius. Typically under these conditions the retail pack is compostable within 60 days.
In one embodiment, the at least one layer of plastics sheet material, is preferably formed of Poly Lactic Acid (PLA), or derivatives thereof, or alternatively cellophane. PLA is obtained from corn starch and cellophane is a wood based product, thereby making both alternatives, fully compostable.
It is found that PLA is preferable to be used when the contents of the retail pack are required to be protected from the effect of moisture. The PLA is particularly effective in preventing moisture emissions or leakage from the contents of the pack through the pack walls.
In one embodiment, the plastics sheet material is adhered to adjacent paper based sheet material to form at least a 2-piy bag panel. In one embodiment the plastics sheet material is used to form the inner surface facing into the cavity and hence in contact with the contents of the pack. The provision of the PLA Lining prevents the passage of moisture therethrough and therefore allows certain contents such as pet food, to retain the required moisture content and hence achieve the required lifespan of the retail pack. Typically, the lining is provided when the items to be held within the bag, are known to include components which may migrate through the paper based sheet material. Thus, the plastics sheet material, is provided of a thickness and type so as to prevent or minimise, the possibility of contact of said components with the paper based sheet material.
In one embodiment, the outer layer of the retail pack is formed of paper, typically white Kraft paper, and has water based inks printed thereon to provide an externally visible display.
Typically a second paper layer, perhaps of brown Kraft paper is provided which lies intermediate the outer paper layer and the layer of plastics material.
In one embodiment, the ink is applied so as to provide information relating to the items held within the bag and/or promotional material.
Typically, the plastics sheet material is laminated to a face of the adjacent paper based sheet material using an adhesive which is known to be compostable or at least biodegradable.
In one embodiment, the bag is of a type which has a base, side walls depending therefrom and, at the distal ends of the side walls, there is defined the opening.
In one embodiment, the opening is selectively sealable using heat sealing means on the plastics material inner layer to thereby trap the items held in the bag therein, typically for subsequent transport of the retail packs and display of the packs for purchase. Thus, the items held within the same can have the required shelf life on display and still be provided in a compostable bag. Typically the at least one layer of plastics sheet material is used to achieve the sealing of the opening by heat sealing methods.
In one embodiment, the contents within the retail pack, are animal foodstuffs and are therefore sealed within the retail pack until purchased and opened for consumption.
In one embodiment, the paper which is used to form the paper based sheet material, is virgin or non recycled paper. However if in due course recycled paper is available which is of sufficient strength this could equally well be used.
In a further aspect of the invention there is provided a bag for a foodstuff to be retained therein, said bag comprising a base and side walls, and the distal ends of said side walls from said base define an opening, said side walls and base formed of a plurality of plys of sheet material, at least one of the plys formed of paper based sheet material and another further ply is formed of a compostable plastic sheet material which forms the inner face of the bag, said bag, when empty provided to be compostable in specific environmental conditions which differ to those in which the bag and contents are provided to be used and in which the condition of the bag and contents are substantially maintained for a predefined lifetime.
By compostable is meant that the sheet material used to form the walls and/or base, is capable of being composted as well as the other components used to form the bag. The bag may also, in one embodiment, meet industry standards so as to be classed as compostable. Preferably the pack is of a form so as to be certified compostable to BS EN 13432. In particular the retail pack is broken down within 60 days in a commercial composting process. Typically in this process the temperature is maintained at at least 50 degrees Celsius and 50% humidity. There is therefore provided in accordance with the invention a bag which is certified by the Composting Association of the United Kingdom as compostable and which can be composted through industrial composting processes. It can therefore be stated to consumers, typically via printing on the bag, that the packaging or bag can be sent to local authority composting collection points for composting by the local authority. There are no other bags of this type known to be currently available.
In a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method of providing a compostable retail pack for a foodstuff,said method comprising providing an outer layer of paper based material, applying printing using water based inks to the external face thereof, attaching to the opposing face of the paper layer, a layer of compostable plastics material to line the interior of the pack, forming the multi-ply layers of material into a bag defining a cavity therein, at least partially filling the cavity with the foodstuff and heat sealing an opening into the cavity by applying heat to a portion of the compostable plastics material to form the retail pack, and the glue used to adhere the layers is a compostable glue, placing the retail pack on display and using the same in ambient environmental conditions in which the condition of the retail pack and foodstuff is substantially maintained and wherein the pack is rendered compostable by exposing the same to environmental conditions which differ from the ambient conditions in which the retail pack is provided to be displayed and in which the foodstuff is provided to be consumed.
In a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a bag for animal foodstuff to be retained therein, said bag comprising a base and side walls, and the distal ends of said side walls define an opening, said side walls and base formed of a plurality of plys of sheet material, at least one of the plys formed of paper based sheet material and characterised in that at least one of the further plys is formed of a compostable plastic sheet material.
In a further aspect of the invention there is provided a packaging bag wherein both the inner and external faces of the bag are formed of compostable plastics sheet material.
In one embodiment there is provided at least one layer of paper based sheet material intermediate inner and outer layers of the compostable plastic sheet material.
In a further aspect of the invention there is provided a packaging bag for retaining items in a cavity defined by panels including walls and a base, said bag having an opening into the cavity, said panels including at least one layer of paper based sheet material and characterised in that the panels include at least a further layer of a biodegradable and/or compostable plastics sheet material.
Specific embodiments of the invention are now described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:-Figure 1 illustrates one form of packaging bag in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 illustrates a cross sectional elevation of a wall of the packaging bag in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; and Figure 3 illustrates a cross sectional view through a side wall of a packaging bag in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
Referring firstly to Figure 1, there is illustrated a retail pack 2 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. In this particular example, the pack is provided for the packaging of feedstuff such as, for example, dog biscuits, therein. The pack is in the form of a packaging bag in which the contents are held in a sealed condition until portions of the foodstuff are required for consumption. An internal cavity 4 is provided into which the foodstuff is placed and then enclosed by the sealing of the opening 6. The bag is then transported for display at a retail outlet and it should be appreciated that the bag, in many instances, can be required to have a shelf life of up to one year during which the quality of the contents is required to be maintained. Once purchased, the opening 6 can be reopened and access gained into the cavity to remove portions of the foodstuff therefrom for consumption.
The bag comprises a base 10, opposing side walls 12 and opposing end walls 14. This type of bag is known as an SOS bag. The present invention provides a bag which can be manufactured in accordance with the form shown, or indeed other forms, which is wholly compostable. By compostable is meant that the bag, when the contents have been used up and the same is to be discarded as waste, will form a compost without any residue being left. Thus, the bag can be passed, typically to a commercial composting environment in which the same can be composted along with other waste of this form.
The walls and/or base of the bag are typically provided in the first example with a construction which comprises a paper based sheet material 20 which forms the core layer and a second layer of paper based sheet material 18 which forms the external face 16 of the bag as shown in Figure 2 which is a cross section along line A-A of part of the side wall 12 of Figure 1. A layer of plastic sheet material 22, for example, cellophane or PLA is provided to form a lining inner face of the bag walls. One specification for a bag of the type as shown in Figure 2 is provided below: Liner 22 comprises 2Omu PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) extruded film.
This film is applied to the layer 20 of brown Kraft ply, using a biodegradable and compostable adhesive at spaced locations.
The PLA is certified compostable to EN13432/DIN 54900.
This material provides a barrier against food, moisture and grease migration, and is heat-sealable, hence allowing the packs to be machine sealed on an automatic filling line.
Typically the layer 22 is adhered to the layer 20 via a series of portions of adhesive which are provided at spaced locations.
Preferably there is at least provided a portion of the adhesive to attach the layer 22 to the layer 20 around the periphery of the opening 6 so that the layers are adhered at the location at which the heat sealing of the bag opening occurs by applying heat to the plastics material and hence providing an effective seal.
The outer ply 18 comprises 70gsm brown or white Kraft paper.
White paper gives a more versatile printing surface, allowing for a greater spectrum of print colours using water based inks. In this example the layer 18 forms the outer face of the retail pack.
An alternative embodiment is shown in Figure 3 in which there is again provided a core layer 20 formed of at least one ply of paper based sheet material and the inner layer 22 is of a plastics sheet material which is compostable. Layers 20, 24 of paper based sheet material are provided and the layer 24 is laminated to a plastics sheet material 26 which forms the outer face 16 of the walls of the bag. A specification of a bag of this type is now provided.
Liner ply 22 comprises 2Omu PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) extruded film which has the properties of a polymer. This film is applied to layer 20, using a biodegradable adhesive. PLA is a certified composition to EN13432/ DIN 54900. This material provides barrier against food, moisture and grease migration and is heat-soluble -allowing the bags to be machine sealed on an automatic filling line.
Inner ply 20 comprises 70gsm brown Kraft paper.
Ply layer 24 comprises 7Ogsm brown or white Kraft paper and the outer laminate 26 comprises l2mu PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) extruded film which is used as an outer laminate for the bag.
A full colour design can be reverse printed onto this film, which will then be laminated onto the outer Kraft ply. This creates a "glossy" finish to the bag look, whilst retaining full compostability.
The outer face, in both embodiments, is provided to receive ink printed thereon so as to provide the required information and/or promotional visual appearance on the external face 16 of the bag. The internal sheet 22 of plastics material, acts as a liner so as to prevent the passage of oils and fats which are typically present in the foodstuff, into the paper base sheet material or indeed through the walls of the bag. This is found to prevent the formation of stains or dark spots on the external face of the bag and therefore maintains the pleasing visual appearance of the bag to potential purchasers. It also acts to maintain the moisture of the contents within the pack as the PLA is resistant to moisture leakage. This therefore means that for certain products, such as, for example, foodstuffs which are sensitive to moisture content, the required shelf life of the products can be achieved with the weight and condition of the feedstuff meeting the required standards.
In one embodiment the method of forming the retail pack starts with the provision of an outer layer of paper based material, and applying printing to the same as appropriate using water based inks to the face of the outer layer 18 which will ultimately form the outer face 16 of the bag. To the opposing face of the paper layer 18 there is attached a further paper layer 20, typically attached at least spaced locations to the layer 18 using a compostable adhesive. To the inner face of the layer 18 is attached a layer of PLA 22 which will act to line the interior of the subsequently formed pack. The PLA layer 22 will typically be adhered to the inner face using spaced portions of compostable adhesive with care being taken to ensure that there is a strong join around the periphery of the opening 6 for the sealing reasons stated previously. The multi-ply and joined layers of material can then be formed, using standard apparatus as appropriate, into a bag defining a cavity therein. The cavity is at least partially filled with the items to be held therein, such as a foodstuff and the opening is heat sealed by applying heat to a portion of the PLA material and hence form the retail pack.
The retail pack can then be placed on display and during display and subsequent use of the contents in ambient environmental conditions the condition of the retail pack is substantially maintained. The retail pack can be rendered compostable at any time, but typically once the contents have been used and only the bag is left, by exposing the same to environmental conditions in which the temperature is at least 50 degrees Celsius and the humidity is at least 50%.
Thus, there is provided in accordance with the invention, a compostable retail pack including a packaging bag is provided which can be used to retain items therein on a short or long term for, if required, display and retail purchasers. The compostable bag is provided in a form which allows the maintenance of foods held within the bag in the required form, allows the provision of promotional and/or other information on the external face of the bag in an acceptable manner and allows the integrity and use of the retail pack to be as that of a conventional non compostable pack in normal usage environment conditions. However by providing the pack as described, when the bag is to be discarded the same can be exposed to composting conditions which are significantly different to the normal usage environment and thereby render the bag to compost. The applicant has therefore recognised and provides the means for ensuring that a retail pack can be provided which meets the rec1uirements of the sellers, in terms of shelf life, attractiveness and integrity; is sufficiently robust to allow use by the consumer and furthermore, allows the packaging to be wholly regarded as waste in a compostable manner.
With the bags in accordance with the invention bcing compostable, then the same can, it is believed, be discarded along with normal garden waste and other compostable materials thereby providing significant advantages to the consumer and, as a result, making products which are packaged within this type of bag more appealing for purchase than products which may be packaged in the other conventional form of packaging.

Claims (6)

  1. H
    Claims 1. A retail pack comprising a bag with panels including walls and a base and defining a cavity in which the contents of the retail pack are held, said bag having an opening into the cavity, and said panels including at least one layer of paper based sheet material and at least one further layer of compostable plastics sheet material and wherein the retail pack is provided so as to be maintained substantially in its original form in the ambient environmental conditions in which the same is to be displayed and used and to be compostable when empty and exposed to specific environmental conditions which differ to the ambient environmental conditions and wherein the compostable plastics sheet material forms the inner surface of the cavity of the bag.
    2. A pack according to claim 1 wherein the plastics sheet material is formed of polylactic acid (PLA) or cellophane.
    3. A pack according to claim 1 wherein the environmental conditions to render the pack compostable is a temperature of at least 50 degrees Celsius and at least 5O% humidity.
    4. A pack according to claim I wherein the plastics sheet material is laminated to adjacent paper based sheet material to form at least a 2-ply bag panel.
    5. A pack according to claim I wherein a layer of the plastics sheet material is used to form the external face of the bag and receive thereon, ink to provide an externally visible display.
    6. A pack according to claim I wherein the external layer of the bag is formed of white Kraft paper to which water based inks are applied.
    7. A pack according to claim 6 wherein a further layer of paper is located intermediate the external layer and the layer of plastics material.
    8. A pack according to any of the preceding claims wherein the plastics sheet material is laminated to a face of the adjacent paper based sheet material using a biodegradable and/or compostable adhesive.
    9 A pack according to claim 1 wherein the opening into the pack is sealed using heat sealing means to thereby trap the contents of the bag therein.
    10. A pack according to claim 9 wherein the plastics sheet material is used to achieve the sealing of the opening by heat sealing means.
    11. A pack according to claim I wherein the paper based sheet material is re-cycled paper or includes a portion of re-cycled paper.
    12. A pack according to claim I wherein the items to be held within the bag are animal foodstuffs.
    13 A pack according to claim I wherein said pack is compostable for disposal once the bag is empty.
    14. A bag for a foodstuff to be retained therein, said bag comprising a base and side walls, and the distal ends of said side walls from said base define an opening, said side walls and base formed of a plurality of plys of sheet material, at least one of the plys formed of paper based sheet material and another further ply is formed of a compostable plastic sheet material which forms the inner face of the bag, said bag, when empty provided to be compostable in specific environmental conditions which differ to those in which the bag and contents are provided to be used and in which the condition of the bag and contents are substantially maintained for a predefined lifetime.
    15. A method of providing a compostable retail pack for a foodstuff,said method comprising providing an outer layer of paper based material, applying printing using water based inks to the external face thereof, attaching to the opposing face of the paper layer, a layer of compostable plastics material to line the interior of the pack, forming the multi-ply layers of material into a bag defining a cavity therein, at least partially filling the cavity with the foodstuff and heat sealing an opening into the cavity by applying heat to a portion of the compostable plastics material to form the retail pack, and the glue used to adhere the layers is a compostable glue, placing the retail pack on display and using the same in ambient environmental conditions in which the condition of the retail pack and foodstuff is substantially maintained and wherein the pack is rendered compostable by exposing the same to environmental conditions which differ from the ambient conditions in which the retail pack is provided to be displayed and in which the foodstuff is provided to be consumed.
    16 A method according to claim 15 wherein the environmental conditions in which composting takes place are at a temperature of at least 50 degrees Celsius and at least 50% humidity 17. A bag for animal foodstuff to be retained therein, said bag comprising a base and side walls, and the distal ends of said side walls define an opening, said side walls and base formed of a plurality of piys of sheet material, at least one of the plys formed of paper based sheet material and characterised in that at least one of the further plys is formed of a compostable plastic sheet material.
    18. A packaging bag for retaining items in a cavity defined by panels including walls and a base, said bag having an opening into the cavity, said panels including at least one layer of paper based sheet material and characterised in that the panels include at least a further layer of a biodegradable and/or compostable plastics sheet material.
    19 A bag as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
    A retail pack as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
    21 A method of forming a retail pack as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
    Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows Claims I \ i:ctail pack comprising a bag with panels including walls and a base and defining a cavity in which the contents of the icrail pack are held, said bag having an opening into the cavity, and said panels including at least one layer of paper based sheet material a id at least one further layer of compostable plastics sheer mai crial and wherein the retail pack is provided so as to be ma i ilta i ncd substantially in its original form in the ambient CII vi.i:onmental conditions in which the same is to be displayed and used and to be compostable when empty and exposed to specific environmental conditions which differ to the ambient cn\rlronnlental conditions and wherein the compostable plastics sheer material forms the inner surface of the cavity of the bag.
    2 icI according to claim I wherein the plastics sheet materiaL is formed of polylactic acid (PLA) or cellophane.
    3 " pack according to claim 1 wherein the environmental conditions to render the pack compostable is a temperature of at least F() dcerces c;elsieis and at least 5O% humidity.
    4 A pack according to claim I wherein the plastics sheet : mai crial is laminated to adjacent Paper based sheet material to * toi m at least a 2-Dly bait panel.
    * I (i
    S
    **** -. \ pack according to claim 1 wherein a layer of the plastics sheer material is used to form the external face of the bag and receive thereon, ink to provide an externally visible display.
    6. A pack according to claim 1 wherein the external layer of i he hag is formed of white Kraft paper to which water based inks arc applied.
    \ rack according to claim 6 wherein a further layer of jtpci* is k)cared intermediate the external layer and the layer of plastics material.
    \ pack according to any of the preceding claims wherein the plastics sheet material is laminated to a face of the adjacent paper based sheet material using a biodegradable and/or composra ble adhesive.
    9 \ pack according to claim 1 wherein the opening into the pack is sea cd using heat sealing means to thereby trap the coiiicnrs oF he bag therein.
    \ pack according to claim 9 wherein the plastics sheet material is used to achieve the sealing of the opening by heat sealing means.
    I A pack according to claim I wherein the paper based sheet material is re-cycled paper oi-includes a portion of re-cycled P a r c 2 \ pack according to claim I wherein the Items to be held WI di iii the bag are animal foodstuffs.
    I I...
    I 3 \ pack according to claim 1 wherein said pack is compos table for disposal once the bag is empty. I... * I I
    I
    iLl. L\. bag for a foodstuff to be retained therein, said bag comprising a base and side walls, and the distal ends of said side walls from said base define an opening, said side walls and base formed of a plurality of plys of sheet material, at least one of the plys burned of paper based sheet material and another further ply is formed of a compostable plastic sheet material \vhlch loims the inner face of the bag, said bag, when empty * L0 r rovided to be compostable in specific environmental condiiioiis \vhlch differ to those in which the bag and contents are provided to be used and in which the condition of the bag and contents arc substantially maintained for a predefined Ii Ic H in C I 5 A method of providing a compostable retail pack for a IoodstuI,saicl method comprising providing an outer layer of NPCt based material, applying printing using water based inks to the external face thereof, attaching to the opposing face of the papCi* layci, a layer of compostable plastics material to line the ifliC 1101 ol the pack, forming the multi-ply layers of material into a I)ag (IC Fining a cavity therein, at least partially filling the cavity with he Foodstuff and heat sealing an opening into the cavity by appJying heat to a portion oi the compostable plastics material to oi m the retail pack, and the glue used to adhere the layers is a compostable glue, placing the retail pack on display and using the same in ambient environmental conditions in which the conditioii of the retail pack and foodstuff is substantially maintained and wherein the pack is rendered compostable by exposiilg the same to. environmental conditions which differ From the ambient conditions in which the retail pack is provided to he displayed and in which the foodstuff is provided to be COflS Limed. a... a..
    I 6 \ mci-hod according to claim 15 wherein the environmental . : coiidi lions in which composting takes place are at a temperature oF at least 50 degrees Celsius and at least 50% humidity I 7 i\ bag as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
    18 A retail pack as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying ci rawings.
    9 net hod of forming a retail pack as hereinbefore described rh Ic rciicc to the accompanying drawings. * I ** * * .** * S * *1* **S.
    S *S**
    I S.. **. * S. C. * S. * * S.
    S
    H
    Claims 1. A retail pack comprising a bag with panels including walls and a base and defining a cavity in which the contents of the retail pack are held, said bag having an opening into the cavity, and said panels including at least one layer of paper based sheet material and at least one further layer of compostable plastics sheet material and wherein the retail pack is provided so as to be maintained substantially in its original form in the ambient environmental conditions in which the same is to be displayed and used and to be compostable when empty and exposed to specific environmental conditions which differ to the ambient environmental conditions and wherein the compostable plastics sheet material forms the inner surface of the cavity of the bag.
  2. 2. A pack according to claim 1 wherein the plastics sheet material is formed of polylactic acid (PLA) or cellophane.
  3. 3. A pack according to claim 1 wherein the environmental conditions to render the pack compostable is a temperature of at least 50 degrees Celsius and at least 5O% humidity.
  4. 4. A pack according to claim I wherein the plastics sheet material is laminated to adjacent paper based sheet material to form at least a 2-ply bag panel.
  5. 5. A pack according to claim I wherein a layer of the plastics sheet material is used to form the external face of the bag and receive thereon, ink to provide an externally visible display.
  6. 6. A pack according to claim 1 wherein the external layer of i he hag is formed of white Kraft paper to which water based inks arc applied.
    \ rack according to claim 6 wherein a further layer of jtpci* is k)cared intermediate the external layer and the layer of plastics material.
    \ pack according to any of the preceding claims wherein the plastics sheet material is laminated to a face of the adjacent paper based sheet material using a biodegradable and/or composra ble adhesive.
    9 \ pack according to claim 1 wherein the opening into the pack is sea cd using heat sealing means to thereby trap the coiiicnrs oF he bag therein.
    \ pack according to claim 9 wherein the plastics sheet material is used to achieve the sealing of the opening by heat sealing means.
    I A pack according to claim I wherein the paper based sheet material is re-cycled paper oi-includes a portion of re-cycled P a r c 2 \ pack according to claim I wherein the Items to be held WI di iii the bag are animal foodstuffs.
    I I...
    I 3 \ pack according to claim 1 wherein said pack is compos table for disposal once the bag is empty. I... * I I
    I
    iLl. L\. bag for a foodstuff to be retained therein, said bag comprising a base and side walls, and the distal ends of said side walls from said base define an opening, said side walls and base formed of a plurality of plys of sheet material, at least one of the plys burned of paper based sheet material and another further ply is formed of a compostable plastic sheet material \vhlch loims the inner face of the bag, said bag, when empty * L0 r rovided to be compostable in specific environmental condiiioiis \vhlch differ to those in which the bag and contents are provided to be used and in which the condition of the bag and contents arc substantially maintained for a predefined Ii Ic H in C I 5 A method of providing a compostable retail pack for a IoodstuI,saicl method comprising providing an outer layer of NPCt based material, applying printing using water based inks to the external face thereof, attaching to the opposing face of the papCi* layci, a layer of compostable plastics material to line the ifliC 1101 ol the pack, forming the multi-ply layers of material into a I)ag (IC Fining a cavity therein, at least partially filling the cavity with he Foodstuff and heat sealing an opening into the cavity by appJying heat to a portion oi the compostable plastics material to oi m the retail pack, and the glue used to adhere the layers is a compostable glue, placing the retail pack on display and using the same in ambient environmental conditions in which the conditioii of the retail pack and foodstuff is substantially maintained and wherein the pack is rendered compostable by exposiilg the same to. environmental conditions which differ From the ambient conditions in which the retail pack is provided to he displayed and in which the foodstuff is provided to be COflS Limed. a... a..
    I 6 \ mci-hod according to claim 15 wherein the environmental . : coiidi lions in which composting takes place are at a temperature oF at least 50 degrees Celsius and at least 50% humidity I 7 i\ bag as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
    18 A retail pack as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying ci rawings.
    9 net hod of forming a retail pack as hereinbefore described rh Ic rciicc to the accompanying drawings. * I ** * * .** * S * *1* **S.
    S *S**
    I S.. **. * S. C. * S. * * S.
    S
    6. A pack according to claim I wherein the external layer of the bag is formed of white Kraft paper to which water based inks are applied.
    7. A pack according to claim 6 wherein a further layer of paper is located intermediate the external layer and the layer of plastics material.
    8. A pack according to any of the preceding claims wherein the plastics sheet material is laminated to a face of the adjacent paper based sheet material using a biodegradable and/or compostable adhesive.
    9 A pack according to claim 1 wherein the opening into the pack is sealed using heat sealing means to thereby trap the contents of the bag therein.
    10. A pack according to claim 9 wherein the plastics sheet material is used to achieve the sealing of the opening by heat sealing means.
    11. A pack according to claim I wherein the paper based sheet material is re-cycled paper or includes a portion of re-cycled paper.
    12. A pack according to claim I wherein the items to be held within the bag are animal foodstuffs.
    13 A pack according to claim I wherein said pack is compostable for disposal once the bag is empty.
    14. A bag for a foodstuff to be retained therein, said bag comprising a base and side walls, and the distal ends of said side walls from said base define an opening, said side walls and base formed of a plurality of plys of sheet material, at least one of the plys formed of paper based sheet material and another further ply is formed of a compostable plastic sheet material which forms the inner face of the bag, said bag, when empty provided to be compostable in specific environmental conditions which differ to those in which the bag and contents are provided to be used and in which the condition of the bag and contents are substantially maintained for a predefined lifetime.
    15. A method of providing a compostable retail pack for a foodstuff,said method comprising providing an outer layer of paper based material, applying printing using water based inks to the external face thereof, attaching to the opposing face of the paper layer, a layer of compostable plastics material to line the interior of the pack, forming the multi-ply layers of material into a bag defining a cavity therein, at least partially filling the cavity with the foodstuff and heat sealing an opening into the cavity by applying heat to a portion of the compostable plastics material to form the retail pack, and the glue used to adhere the layers is a compostable glue, placing the retail pack on display and using the same in ambient environmental conditions in which the condition of the retail pack and foodstuff is substantially maintained and wherein the pack is rendered compostable by exposing the same to environmental conditions which differ from the ambient conditions in which the retail pack is provided to be displayed and in which the foodstuff is provided to be consumed.
    16 A method according to claim 15 wherein the environmental conditions in which composting takes place are at a temperature of at least 50 degrees Celsius and at least 50% humidity 17. A bag for animal foodstuff to be retained therein, said bag comprising a base and side walls, and the distal ends of said side walls define an opening, said side walls and base formed of a plurality of piys of sheet material, at least one of the plys formed of paper based sheet material and characterised in that at least one of the further plys is formed of a compostable plastic sheet material.
    18. A packaging bag for retaining items in a cavity defined by panels including walls and a base, said bag having an opening into the cavity, said panels including at least one layer of paper based sheet material and characterised in that the panels include at least a further layer of a biodegradable and/or compostable plastics sheet material.
    19 A bag as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
    A retail pack as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
    21 A method of forming a retail pack as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
    Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows Claims I \ i:ctail pack comprising a bag with panels including walls and a base and defining a cavity in which the contents of the icrail pack are held, said bag having an opening into the cavity, and said panels including at least one layer of paper based sheet material a id at least one further layer of compostable plastics sheer mai crial and wherein the retail pack is provided so as to be ma i ilta i ncd substantially in its original form in the ambient CII vi.i:onmental conditions in which the same is to be displayed and used and to be compostable when empty and exposed to specific environmental conditions which differ to the ambient cn\rlronnlental conditions and wherein the compostable plastics sheer material forms the inner surface of the cavity of the bag.
    2 icI according to claim I wherein the plastics sheet materiaL is formed of polylactic acid (PLA) or cellophane.
    3 " pack according to claim 1 wherein the environmental conditions to render the pack compostable is a temperature of at least F() dcerces c;elsieis and at least 5O% humidity.
    4 A pack according to claim I wherein the plastics sheet : mai crial is laminated to adjacent Paper based sheet material to * toi m at least a 2-Dly bait panel.
    * I (i
    S
    **** -. \ pack according to claim 1 wherein a layer of the plastics sheer material is used to form the external face of the bag and receive thereon, ink to provide an externally visible display.
GB0814645A 2007-02-27 2007-12-12 A compostable plastic and paper laminate packaging bag Active GB2455599B (en)

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GB0703700A GB0703700D0 (en) 2007-02-27 2007-02-27 Improvements to Packaging
GB0724289A GB2447108B (en) 2007-02-27 2007-12-12 A compostable/biodegradable plastic and paper laminate packaging bag

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Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
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WO2010149884A1 (en) * 2009-06-26 2010-12-29 Vegeplast Biodegradable multilayer material and method of obtaining such a material
US20110176749A1 (en) * 2010-01-20 2011-07-21 Elizabeth Race Compostable Natural-Fiber Food Storage Bag
WO2012038976A2 (en) 2010-09-22 2012-03-29 Champat Rikhabchand Sanghvi Biocompostable paper polymer laminate and a method for preparation thereof
CN102514802A (en) * 2012-01-03 2012-06-27 工业包装袋公司 Takeout food bag
WO2019200179A1 (en) * 2018-04-11 2019-10-17 Packaging Concepts, Inc. Microwavable food container
EP3672878A4 (en) * 2017-08-23 2021-04-07 Steeped, Inc. Coffee beverage and methods
IT202000004096A1 (en) * 2020-02-27 2021-08-27 Unifarco S P A Container for containing and dispensing semi-liquid substances and kit including this container
IT202200004967A1 (en) * 2022-03-15 2023-09-15 Packaging Diffusion Srl Element for packaging or wrapping food products

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WO2010149884A1 (en) * 2009-06-26 2010-12-29 Vegeplast Biodegradable multilayer material and method of obtaining such a material
FR2947205A1 (en) * 2009-06-26 2010-12-31 Vegeplast BIODEGRADABLE MULTILAYER MATERIAL AND PROCESS FOR OBTAINING SUCH MATERIAL
US20110176749A1 (en) * 2010-01-20 2011-07-21 Elizabeth Race Compostable Natural-Fiber Food Storage Bag
US8540426B2 (en) * 2010-01-20 2013-09-24 Elizabeth Race Compostable natural-fiber food storage bag
WO2012038976A2 (en) 2010-09-22 2012-03-29 Champat Rikhabchand Sanghvi Biocompostable paper polymer laminate and a method for preparation thereof
WO2012038976A3 (en) * 2010-09-22 2012-05-10 Champat Rikhabchand Sanghvi Biocompostable paper polymer laminate and a method for preparation thereof
CN102514802A (en) * 2012-01-03 2012-06-27 工业包装袋公司 Takeout food bag
EP3672878A4 (en) * 2017-08-23 2021-04-07 Steeped, Inc. Coffee beverage and methods
WO2019200179A1 (en) * 2018-04-11 2019-10-17 Packaging Concepts, Inc. Microwavable food container
IT202000004096A1 (en) * 2020-02-27 2021-08-27 Unifarco S P A Container for containing and dispensing semi-liquid substances and kit including this container
WO2021171236A1 (en) * 2020-02-27 2021-09-02 Unifarco S.P.A. A container for containing and dispensing semi-liquid substances and kit comprising said container
IT202200004967A1 (en) * 2022-03-15 2023-09-15 Packaging Diffusion Srl Element for packaging or wrapping food products

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