Flowpack packaging is one of the key packaging formats in the cheese industry - for applications such as grated cheese, sliced products or portioned items. At the same time, requirements for recyclability and material efficiency are increasing. For dairy producers, this means that existing packaging solutions must be further developed and assessed at an early stage in terms of their long-term viability under future regulatory conditions.
In practice, it quickly becomes clear that switching to new materials is not purely a material-driven issue. The main challenge is to maintain stable production processes and keep risks under control. Packaging solutions must integrate into existing lines and perform reliably under real production conditions, without introducing additional instability into the process. Not every solution that is theoretically recyclable can be implemented reliably in production.

Between requirements and production reality
Flowpack processes are designed for high efficiency. Lines operate at high speeds and within narrow process windows, making them highly sensitive to changes in material behaviour.Even minor deviations can have noticeable effects - for example on seal quality or material handling. Variations in temperature or product characteristics can further affect process stability and increase the demands placed on packaging materials.

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Nicole Schehle, Head of R&D at EK-Pack, emphasises:
“Oxygen ingress, microleakages or unstable sealing immediately lead to quality and shelf lifeissues.”

In practice, this means that packaging solutions must not only perform under laboratory conditions, but also under real production environments—at speed, under fluctuating influences and in continuous operation. What matters is that this stability can be ensured consistently over time.

Monomaterial as a solution approach
Monomaterial solutions are considered a key approach to enabling recyclability and simplifying material structures. In particular, PE- and PP-based films are at the centre of current developments.
However, in real applications, replacing existing multi-material structures requires targeted adjustments. Requirements for barrier performance, sealing behaviour and mechanical properties remain unchanged and must continue to be met to ensure product protection and shelf life.
At the same time, existing PE- and PP-based structures are continuously being refined to meet these requirements reliably while addressing increasing recyclability requirements.

“Monomaterial solutions will only succeed if they are functionally equivalent,” says Nicole Schehle. “Simply changing the material is not enough.” – Nicole Schehle

For dairy producers, this means monomaterial is a key approach—but only if the solution fits the specific application, product and existing processing conditions and proves itself in practice.

Introducing new materials: controlled rather than risky
Introducing new packaging materials always involves a careful trade-off. Production managers must ensure that existing lines continue to run stably and that planned performance levels are maintained.
New materials are therefore primarily evaluated based on whether they can be integrated without major adjustments and enable stable processes. In many cases, implementation takes place step by step—first tested under real production conditions before being rolled out more broadly into regular operation.

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Nicole Schehle makes this clear: “Sustainability must not lead to longer cycle times or waste. New materials must prove themselves within existing processes.”

This leads to a clear requirement: packaging solutions must be designed to run reliably under real conditions while also meeting recyclability requirements. What matters is not theoretical suitability, but actual process performance.

Interaction between material and application

The development of recyclable packaging solutions is increasingly driven by specific applications. Material properties, machine technology and process parameters must be considered together.

In practice, there is no universal solution. The suitability of materials depends strongly on the specific product, application and process conditions. These differences require a differentiated evaluation and close alignment between development and production.

Success is determined in practice.

Discussions about packaging are often strongly focused on materials. In practice, however, what matters is whether a solution works reliably in day-to-day operation and can be used consistently over time.

For dairy producers, this leads to a clear priority: packaging solutions must not only berecyclable, but must also perform reliably under real operating conditions.

Product protection, process stability and recyclability must be achieved together.

Ultimately, the suitability of a solution can only be assessed through the interaction of material, process and application. What matters is not theoretical performance, but proven reliability under real conditions.