Recyclable bio-based transparent laminate
Grounded's recyclable Sugarflex™ laminate is carbon negative and made from sugarcane. It is a fully recyclable mono-material and has similar functional characteristics to traditional plastics. It is available in high and low barrier and is suitable for use across a number of different industry applications.
The good?
- Sugarflex™ is a highly recyclable material and has wide application across numerous packaging formats and industries
- Sugarflex™ is carbon negative due to a combination of raw materials and production techniques and incorporates a high percentage of renewable plant-based content
- It closely mimics the properties of conventional virgin plastics and can be used for wet and/or oily products, unlike compostable materials
- It has high transparency and good adhesion for inks and barrier coatings, make it highly versatile and adaptable to different products & manufacturing processes
- Due to its inert nature if Sugarflex™ ends up in landfills it gradually reforms into biogenic carbon instead of generating greenhouse gas emissions
The bad?
- Soft plastic recycling is challenging. This material either needs to go into a dedicated polyethylene stream (#2 or #4) or a drop-off soft plastics collection stream, which are limited although growing rapidly
- The material is softer than oil-based plastic films, meaning more material is required to achieve a rigid structure often required for pouch making
- It is not biodegradable or compostable and if it ends up in the environment it is likely to be there for many years before turning into biogenic carbon
Sustainability Properties
Fossil fuel reduction
Reduces the amount of virgin fossil fuel content
Renewable materials
Made from regenerative materials grown on responsibly-managed plantations
Carbon reduction
Reduces the total greenhouse gas emissions caused by production and delivery
Recyclable plastic
Recyclable in the plastic waste stream
Nontoxic Inks
Water or biobased inks that do not require petroleum-based solvents
Certifications
- Certifications are unavailable for this material
Frequently asked questions
Yes, our Sugarflex™ films and laminates are suitable for both wet and oily applications.
No they are not compostable. They are made from plants have a naturally carbon negative production footprint but are designed to be recycled. For further reading please see our blog post on Composting vs Recycling.
This is a great question and the answer is nuanced. They don't contain plastic as most people know it but they are made from bioplastic, which is technically a type of plastic. Grounded has a range of bioplastics that are made using our compostable Plantcell™ technology or our recyclable Sugarflex™ films and laminates.