The European Union passed the Single-Use Plastic Directive in 2019, which aims to “turn off the tap” of plastic pollution that comes from the land and ends up in the sea. In Europe alone, 25 million tons of plastic waste are generated every year, with only 30% collected for recycling. This regulation, along with others passed across the world, aims to reduce marine plastic pollution by collaborating with manufacturers, retailers and importers.

One company, a world-leader in flexible packaging, has included products that are compliant with the EU directive. Scholle IPN has rolled out tethered pouch fitments that can be integrated into flexible spouted pouches. The new structure is in line with the company’s goal of contributing to a circular economy.

These tethered solutions remain attached to the container, eliminating loose pieces that would otherwise contribute to land and marine pollution. Consumers can place the entire container into recycling facilities.

Ross Bushnell, President and CEO of Scholle IPN, stated that “the team at Scholle IPN is singularly focused on the sustainable package design for liquid flexible packaging. We approach each project with a goal of removing waste and excessive source material in everything we produce.” Bushnell continued, “Doing more with less is core to who we are.”

Tony Bloedt, Director of Global Fitment Development spoke about the process behind the line of tethered fitment solutions, “Scholle IPN has been a pioneer in flexible packaging throughout its entire history, and this is no different. Not only were we looking to design fitments that were compliant with EU regulations, but we also wanted to ensure that these fitments were designed in a way that decreased our impact on the environment throughout the product’s entire lifecycle. With our new tethered fitment technology, consumers can enjoy a more accessible, more ergonomic experience, while CPG companies take another step towards a truly circular future.”

The solutions from Scholle IPN are available in LinkCap™ and FlipCap™ varieties, with child-friendly designs and improved ergonomics. These are best for pre-made, hybrid and horizontal form fill-seal applications.