Reducing material usage and weight is one of the key steps that can be taken to optimize plastic packaging such as directly printed cups made of polypropylene, because it cuts plastic waste, CO2 emissions, and transport costs. First, however, it is crucial that the technical properties, such as sturdiness and top load, remain largely the same. And this is exactly what K1 Ultralight® technology does, while reducing material usage by up to 10%.
At Zott, all the directly printed cups sourced from Greiner Packaging are now new K1 Ultralight® cups.
By taking this step, we are making our range of products even more environmentally friendly and can save large quantities of plastic. This demonstrates, once again, how important it is to be able to innovate in the plastic packaging space.
Wolfgang Ibele, head of product development
The switch to K1 Ultralight® will reduce Zott’s plastic usage by around 62,500 kg per packaging per year. The company will also save on waste disposal costs, which are charged by weight. This successful outcome was only possible thanks to the spirit of partnership fostered by all those involved in the collaborative development project.
The K1 Ultralight® process can be applied to all printable PP cups. The sizes possible using this method are 68, 73, and 95 mm, with a capacity of between 100 and 500 ml and either transparent or white coloring.
Communicating with the end consumer through the packaging is becoming increasingly important. This is also true for Danone, where recipes are printed directly onto the packaging.
