Legislation changes are driving retailers and food manufacturers to address packaging design and materials in support of Simpler Recycling. To reduce plastic and mitigate packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR), Colpac is utilising direct food contact ink technology to eliminate plastic which can reduce costs.

Whilst we all welcome the drive towards improved recyclability, we are aware that this should be balanced against rising operational and ingredient costs to offer an enhanced value proposition to consumers.

Utilising direct food contact inks on the inside of packaging can replace laminated board, reducing pEPR costs whilst enhancing branding and sustainability. Colpac can support you in achieving these aims by developing innovative solutions that can help you to sell more food.

What are Direct Food Contact inks and how can they reduce plastic?

Colpac works with Sun Chemical’s Direct Food Contact (DFC) offering to create high impact, recyclable packaging. Combining SunPak DirectFood Plus inks with SunStar DFC water-based varnishes allows safe, compliant printing on the inside of carton board food packaging so that no plastic laminates are required. The inks are vegetable-based, mineral oil-free, low odour and certified for direct food contact.

Covering over 75 per cent of the Pantone colour range, they allow retailers to utilise vibrant colour to print throughout the inside of packs, enabling creative branding options without the need for additional cost nor compromising recycling. The system protects against grease and moisture whilst simplifying pack formats, supporting retailers in meeting recyclability targets and reducing pEPR costs.

The use of direct food contact inks helps to reduce plastic waste and make packs easier to recycle. This also moves packs from the fibre-based composite material category of pEPR, and into the ‘paper or board’ category, which has lower fees.

Award-winning platters

This technology was used within the development of the next generation of platter bases for Pret A Manger. This project won the New Packaging Award at the Sammies 2025, demonstrating its pioneering innovation and potential within the industry, particularly within retail environments.

This custom food packaging project offers a food safe solution that can be recycled through any paper re-pulping process. Colpac also upgraded the paperboard material to a lighter board (to reduce costs and emissions) with FSC® certification (to prove sustainable sourcing).

Replacing fibreboard composite materials and plastic laminate with uncoated paperboard and direct food contact inks, alongside light weighting the paperboard material used, is projected to achieve 9407kg* of packaging material savings/year and reduce projected pEPR unit cost by an impressive 55%.

“We work closely with Pret to deliver packaging that does their fresh food justice. These platters do just that, alongside reducing packaging impact and associated costs.” Jonathan Morton, director of business development at Colpac.

Retail market impact

This technology can significantly reduce packaging impact and costs for brands and retailers. It can be scaled and used for many different food packaging types and formats, providing effective, attractive, food safe packaging.

“The product has exceptional sustainability credentials, and we look forward to seeing it rolled out across industry.”  Pete Ward, managing director at The Sammies Awards.

Colpac is working with customers to implement this technology for other food types. Longer-term, Colpac’s partnership with its ink supplier aims to bring these benefits to many other retailers and food manufacturers across the marketplace, having set a precedent for the sector.

Innovation Rooted in Collaboration

The Colpac team prides itself on building long-term partnerships with customers and suppliers, continuously developing packaging through innovative design and materials, to meet the evolving needs of the food-to-go market. Working with Pret and other long-standing customers results in a seamless, full-service packaging team delivering progressive solutions that support retailers’ business and sustainability goals, elevating sales and presentation standards and optimising costs through true innovation.

If you are looking to collaborate, contact Colpac to discover solutions that the team can bring to your retail packaging challenge.

*Weights are calculated based on Pret’s annual usage.

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