CINCINNATI – Flexible packaging leader ProAmpac joined nkd® LIFE in celebrating its recognition as a finalist in the Best Environmentally-Friendly Packaging category of the 2019 World Beverage Innovation Awards. This award honored the “revolutionary” nkd TREK reusable water-purifying pouch that was developed in partnership with ProAmpac.
“Being named as a finalist in the 2019 World Beverage Innovation Awards draws attention to a revolutionary approach – a reusable, flexible packaging container for filtering water from taps, rivers, lakes and streams, which will be introduced to consumers in 2020,” stated Adam Grose, the chief commercial officer for ProAmpac.
“The TREK pouch transforms water into safe, great-tasting drinking water from sources without electricity,” according to Nik Soni from nkd LIFE. “Its super-charging technology makes the water more alkaline and richer in antioxidants,” continues Soni.
The nkd LIFE proprietary filter screws into the removable cap in a BPA-free, leak-proof, dishwasher-safe pouch. By using the reusable pouch in combination with a nkd Life water reusable filter, this innovative approach effectively replaces 300 single-use plastic bottles per filter going into landfills or being dumped into the sea. Over the course of a year, this can amount to 50kg of saved plastic waste per person.
“We wanted to address the proliferation of discarded single-use water bottles by creating a sustainable, portable and compact solution. This resulted in a flexible pouch, easy to carry and store, coupled with exceptional filtration abilities in a lightweight space-saving design inherent to flexible packaging,” stated Soni.
Manuel Jaggi, product development manager for ProAmpac states, “Replacing the rigid bottle with a flexible pouch has a big impact on the sustainability of the product, as flexible packaging increases the product-to-package ratio, reduces energy use during manufacturing, and reduces the resources required for delivery, distribution, and storage.”
Jaggi continues, “To develop nkd’s TREK pouch, we utilized a high-performance laminated structure that has superior mechanical properties to reduce the amount of materials previously used in the rigid container.”