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Kaltrina Bylykbashi
Earthfilm is a material by European packaging group Sirane, made to replace flexible plastic packaging for food items. The material, which is created from entirely renewable materials, is produced as a film with varying barrier performances, and can be applied as flow-wrap, made into a stand-up pouch or preformed bag.
All Earthfilm products have a grease, oxygen and moisture barrier to keep produce fresh. The UK Recycling Association has endorsed the material as recyclable in the Paper waste stream, and the company also claims that it can be commercially composted and re-pulped. Clients using the material include TROO, The Cornish Seaweed Company, Konoï and Flower&White. Earthfilm received the Resource Efficient Pack of the Year in the 2018 UK Packaging Awards and the Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice.
Earthfilm is made from a combination of paper (wood) and PLA from sugarcane and corn, which means it's derived entirely from renewable materials. Despite this, PLA is classed as a plastic under the EU definition because of the way it is chemically modified during manufacture. It does not comply with EU composting facility standards for biodegradation either, with many composting sites deeming PLA a contaminant. The breakdown of PLA and how it affects the natural environment is also not yet clearly understood, and it requires vast amounts of feedstocks to make too, which can be problematic considering corn and sugarcane are land crops.
Sylvicta and Glassine are two barrier products made entirely from wood fibre that do not use any plastic-like substance to protect sensitive products such as food. They're often used for dry goods and garments, but tend to provide for small batch brands. Elsewhere, Sway claims to have created a film, polybag, retail bag and sealed pouches from a seaweed base, but the material is yet to scale. Consider if a flexible film is truly necessary for your packaging before looking for alternatives.
