UK is developing new packaging technology to reduce plastics

A high-speed, environmentally-friendly new packaging program that British scientists are developing. This new technology uses recycled materials and reduces the use of plastics.

The University of Bath in England and a food and beverage research center have collaborated on a research project to improve bag-making and filling and sealing packaging processes used in foods such as rice, pasta and potato chips. By designing a more effective sealing and packaging process, British researchers hope to reduce the use of raw materials by 13%, so that the UK alone will reduce waste by 39,000 tons per year. This technology can be applied globally and bring great benefits to the environment.

The researchers will study the procedures in the mechanical filling and sealing packaging process and use the information obtained to design a new packaging machine that uses less plastic and can use recycled raw materials.

Dr. Ben Hicks, a senior fellow at the University of Bath and director of the Institute's Innovation Design and Manufacturing Research Center, said: "If the consumer goods industry is to address sustainability challenges, then projects like this are very important," Hicks said. In consumer packaging, increasingly stringent legislation is forcing product manufacturers to reduce raw material consumption and reduce the impact of their finished products on the environment.To achieve this goal, manufacturers need to maximize the efficiency of existing equipment, and raw material consumption It needs to be minimized while using thinner, lighter, recyclable and recycled materials.” Hicks said: “This project has brought together partners from the industrial and academic fields to solve this challenge through a combination of theoretical and practical research. ”

In addition to reducing the use of plastics in packaging, the research team is also investigating new packaging technologies so that the latest biodegradable materials can be used and will bring more benefits to the environment.