Westpak recently unveiled a series of innovative and sustainable food packaging innovations at the 2024 Packaging Innovations exhibition. Taking place at the NEC Birmingham, the event ran from the 21st-22nd February attracting record numbers of visitors. Westpak’s expansive stand saw the launch of ‘StickLok’ tamper-evident takeaway bags, ‘HeatWave’ thermal pizza box liners, ‘AgriBlend, foodservice containers (manufactured from agricultural waste), and a number of other innovative new packaging additions.
The Packaging Innovations Exhibition
‘Packaging Innovations’ is regarded across the packaging industry as one of the year’s must-attend shows. This year’s event saw more than 6,900 visitors over the two days and welcomed a multitude of major foodservice and grocery retail brands. Westpak created an impressive stand to welcome visitors to the show with more than 24 shelves of foodservice and fresh produce packaging samples including award-winning packaging ranges and the very latest new packaging developments and material technologies.
'HeatWave'
One of Westpak’s biggest packaging breakthrough deigns unveiled at the exhibition was ‘HeatWave’, a series of pizza box liners that dramatically improve heat retention. This innovation creates a raised and aerated platform, minimising heat dissipation through the base of takeaway pizza boxes.
The product also offers numerous practicality and environmental benefits. Being manufactured from kraft paper, the liners are fully recyclable and industrially compostable. The liners also serve an additional purpose by acting as grease-shield for the pizza box itself. By guarding the pizza box from such contaminants, the ‘HeatWave’ liners help to preserve the recyclability of the heavier, more resource-intensive outer box. ‘HeatWave’ also offers excellent practicality benefits. By simply being inserted into existing pizza boxes, the product can be introduced with minimal disruption to established supply chains and logistical operations.
Initial results show impressive heat savings. 12-inch pizzas have been shown to be 27% hotter after 15 minutes with the liner and 9% after 30 minutes. Similarly, 10-inch pizza has been shown to be 22% hotter after 15 minutes with the liner and 18% hotter after 30 minutes.
'StikLok'
Also launched at the Packaging Innovations show was ‘StikLok’, Westpak’s new range of ‘tamper-evident’ delivery bags. These bags have been developed to provide a safe and reliable solution to safeguard against food tampering and, in turn, reduce customer complaints of missing food. The StikLok bags feature large, single-use adhesive strips to create robust closure seals. This approach completely avoids the use of staples or stickers, both of which present notable disadvantages relating to both safety and operational concerns.
Additional packaging innovations
Also unveiled at the event were Westpak’s new ‘SushiPack’, ‘AgriBlend’ and ‘EverBag’ ranges. The SushiPack range provides a selection of purpose-designed and fully recyclable takeaway sushi packaging, providing a seamless fit for the most popular sushi items. ‘AgriBlend’ highlights a new direction of packaging material technology, utilising agricultural and food waste to create incredibly robust and versatile food containers that are free of traditional paper-based wood fibres. Lastly, Westpak’s new ‘EverBag’ demonstrates the incredibly high levels of durability and strength that paper-based materials can achieve with a series of carry bags that rival fabric in their endurance and weight-bearing specifications.
Other events in 2024
If you missed Westpak at the Packaging Innovations show, you can still see us at the ‘lunch!’ show, which we’ll also be exhibiting at later this year. The ‘lunch!’ Show runs from 18-19th September at ExCeL, London. More information can be found at lunchshow.co.uk.
