The packaging industry’s most contentious topic – sustainability – is set to be the focus of the new PlasticFreeLand™ at Packaging Innovations and Luxury Packaging London 2019, when it returns to Olympia.

The brand-new feature has been created by A Plastic Planet, which joined Packaging Innovations in 2018 to debut the first ever plastic-free aisle in the UK. This year, A Plastic Planet has gone even further by creating PlasticFreeLand, an entire area of the show dedicated to showcasing the latest developments in plastic free materials and packaging. Featuring eight exhibitors, the area has been curated to enable visitors to discover the possibilities of biomaterials and experience them first-hand. The structure of the area, which will be built using Cygnus Ecoboard, will also be plastic free.

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One of the exhibitors within a PlasticFreeLand will be TIPA, which will demonstrate the capabilities of its fully compostable flexible packaging. The bio-based concept offers similar mechanical and visual properties associated with conventional, flexible plastic options, including transparency, sealing strength, durability, barrier capabilities and shelf life, but is fully compostable within six months.

Reel Brands will showcase its range of cardboard based solutions for traditionally non-recyclable goods, including the REELtray; a water and grease resistant pop-up cardboard box.

Committed to carbon neutral manufacturing, AB Packaging will display its range of paper bags for use in the retail and fashion, grocery, food-to-go, e-commerce and industrial sectors. The paper used is sourced from responsibly managed forests and its bags carry the Full Circle symbol, demonstrating they have the highest environmental credentials.

Offering adaptable solutions for a range of applications, Flexi-Hex will join the PlasticFreeLand to demonstrate its innovative cardboard designs for bottles, board sports and industrial uses. The innovation features a durable, honeycomb design which provides flexibility to allow the packaging to fit irregular shapes and sizes. The open-ended modular sleeves are easily cut to the required size or fixed at the join point to encompass oversized products.

Developer of natural plastics, Biome Bioplastics, will showcase its range of bio-resin based packaging including the HT range which can withstand temperatures up to 1300c.

Control Union, the international certification body, will also be present as their partnership with A Plastic Planet launches in September. CU will be collaborating on the further rollout of A Plastic Planet’s Plastic Free Trust Mark for packaging and materials.

Siân Sutherland, Co-Founder of A Plastic Planet, comments: “As the creators of the Plastic Free Aisle last year, we wanted to design an entire space that champions some of the pioneering materials manufacturers in the industry. Stepping into PlasticFreeLand will feel like the future – but a future that is actually possible today. All materials shown are viable and scalable. It is great to work with Easyfairs again to accelerate the essential pace of plastic free change."

Paul MacDonald, Global Brand Director of Easyfairs’ Packaging Portfolio, comments: “Sustainability is the hottest topic in the packaging industry right now and there is no better place to discover the latest plastic alternatives than at Packaging Innovations London 2019.

We are thrilled to be collaborating with A Plastic Planet again, this time to debut its PlasticFreeLand™ and take our plastic-free offering to the next level. We, as a show, aim to provide a truly impartial platform for packaging professionals to meet with current and new suppliers and, in turn, make an informed decision on the future packaging for their brand.”

For further information, please visit the Packaging Innovations and Luxury Packaging London websites or contact the show team on +44 (0)20 8843 8800 or PackagingUK@easyfairs.com.