SABIC has partnered with Lamb Weston, a prominent global brand and producer of frozen potato products, to implement a closed-loop process aimed at creating lightweight, sustainable packaging bags utilizing a thin coextrusion film structure. At least 60% of the packaging is crafted from polymer derived from bio-feedstock sourced from used cooking oil (UCO).

Source: Design World Online

The Process

• Collection: The process begins with collecting UCO from Lamb Weston’s production facilities.
• Conversion: This UCO is transformed into bio-feedstock, which is then used to create certified bio-renewable SABIC HDPE (high-density polyethylene) and SUPEERTM mLLDPE (metallocene linear low-density polyethylene) polymers.
• Final Product: The resulting packaging incorporates at least 60% UCO-based bio-renewable polymer material, falling under SABIC’s TRUCIRCLETM portfolio. Oerlemans Plastics, part of OPACKGROUP, specializes in converting these polymers into multilayer PE film for Lamb Weston’s pre-fried frozen potato products.

Renewable Content and Certification

The new retail packaging from Lamb Weston boasts a total renewable feedstock content of at least 60%, certified throughout the entire process from polymers to film. This is aligned with the well-regarded International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS mass balancing system, which tracks and traces the renewable content in materials.

Environmental Impact

The innovative approach features a 20% reduction in film thickness, resulting in bags with an average unit weight of just 10 g. The incorporation of bio-renewable SABIC PE enables approximately 30% lower carbon footprint compared to the previous bags used for this application. The SABIC HDPE resin offers high strength and flexibility, while the SUPEER mLLDPE resin ensures excellent bag sealing. Both materials meet the standards set by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the U.S. Federal Drug & Food Administration (FDA) for food contact.

Launch

After thorough testing and evaluation, Lamb Weston debuted its first frozen potato products packaged in bags made with Oerlemans’s multilayer film, utilizing certified renewable PE polymers from SABIC, in September across the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.