GERMANY | Whether chocolate bars, fruit gum or potato chips: your packaging must in future not only protect the product but also be recyclable and function with as little material as possible.
The European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) provides the legal framework and will be in force from August 2026. From 2030, stricter provisions on recyclability and packaging minimisation will apply in stages. Minimum recycling ratios will also become mandatory for certain plastic packaging.
Recyclable is not enough on its own
"It's not enough for the sweets and snacks industry to simply change the packaging material," said Guido Hentschke, Director ISM Ingredients, ISM Manufacturing and ISM Snacks & Sweets.
"Paper-based materials and mono-material films behave differently when forming, conducting and sealing than conventional composite films. At the same time, the packaging must fulfil its protective function – against moisture, oxygen, light and mechanical stresses."
At high speeds and with changing product formats, even small differences in the material properties can influence the packaging process. The focus thus shifts to mechanical engineering: alongside new technical developments, targeted adaptation and retrofitting of existing systems are becoming increasingly important.
Exhibitors at ISM Manufacturing 2027 in Cologne show how these requirements can be realised in practice. Under the key theme "Connecting the Entire Value Chain", the ISM trade fair trio, ISM Ingredients, ISM Manufacturing, and ISM Snacks & Sweets, connects the various stages of the value creation chain.
New requirements for sealing technology
For cold sealing, suitable barrier papers complement the established mono-material films. For horizontal flow bag machines, Syntegon offers a retrofit solution with its paper-ON-form system. It consists of a specially developed mould unit and sealing tools coordinated for paper. This allows processing suitable barrier papers without dispensing with conventional films.
"Mono-films or paper-based solutions are increasingly being used for flow bags for chocolate and protein bars. The barrier effect and seam imperviousness must thereby also be ensured at high packaging speeds. This is because only when such packaging materials can be industrially processed reliably and efficiently can they also establish themselves at a large scale," said Markus Rustler, Managing Director of Theegarten-Pactec.
For heat sealing, the thermal process window of these materials is often narrower than that of conventional multi-layer composite films. Temperature, contact pressure, and sealing time must therefore be precisely coordinated.
Machinability put to the test
Adaptive control and sealing systems add process security: concurrent transverse sealing units maintain constant sealing time despite fluctuating system speeds, variable heating elements control heat input, and automatic width corrections stabilise film progression. With suitable packaging materials, ultrasound sealing systems can also extrude product residue from the seam areas, reducing the risk of packaging leaks.
Mechanical engineers test whether new packaging materials can be processed on existing systems, together with manufacturers of food and packaging materials, under conditions close to production. They thereby define suitable sealing parameters and possible performance limitations.
The Packaging Competence Centre (PCC) of Gerhard Schubert GmbH, established at the beginning of 2025, examines how recyclability, product protection, and mechanical processability can be harmonised to develop new packaging.
"The EU Regulation calls for close cooperation between various participants, from the packaging mechanical engineer to the recycler and material suppliers," said Michael Graf, head of the PCC.
In the technical centre in Crailsheim, Schubert tests new packaging materials for sealability, mouldability and machinability. The results provide the foundation for possible adjustments to forming shoulders and sealing tools.
High numbers of cycles, coordinated processes
Theegarten-Pactec introduced the FPC6 flow bag machine in 2026 for high packaging performance with recycling-compatible packaging materials. An integrated preheating unit enables the processing of sensitive materials like paper and recyclable mono-films. The machine offers various sealing processes depending on the packaging material.
Recipe administration and a transverse sealing unit that can be exchanged without tools ease format changes. The so-called Flying Splice ensures a roll change without reducing speed, even at packaging material speeds of up to 150 metres per minute. Width edge progression and film tension can be adapted via the control panel to various material properties.
LoeschPack and Hastamat have developed an integrated system line for sweets and snacks that extends from the product feed through flow bag packaging to secondary packaging. The system's core consists of the horizontal FHW-S flow bag machine from LoeschPack and the block-bottom bag machine KBM from Hastamat.
The FHW-S also processes paper-based packaging materials and features optimised film-width control and flexible sealing.
Hastamat takes over after flow-bag packaging. The CP14 multi-head weigher weighs and counts them before they are filled into block-bottom bags. Together, the machines enable processing recyclable materials across several packaging steps.
Save material, close cycles
Beyond recyclability, the PPWR shifts the focus to minimising packaging. As of 2030, weight and volume must be reduced to the amount necessary for the packaging function. For the sweets and snacks industry, this creates economic advantages through lower material, transport, and disposal costs.
Savings also arise from optimised folding techniques, precise carton blanks, and paper-based bundle packaging. Functional barrier paper can replace multi-element packaging constructions and reduce packaging weight. Lower-area-grammage carton quality levels enable further savings.
Crucial remains protection from humidity and grease, mechanical stability, and reliable processing on packaging machines.
The practical implementation of the PPWR and circular value creation in the sweets industry are themes of the ISM Manufacturing 2027 trade programme.
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