Promise that the product is 100% recyclable, and pursue the biodegradable rigid plastic packaging market

Like most other consumer products, sustainability is still a factor in consumer behavior. Consumers increasingly value and even ensure that the products they buy are produced in an ethical and sustainable manner.

"All the products we produce can be 100% recyclable, and the post-consumer recycled materials have been approved by the FDA for food contact packaging." At Eka Pupa, the concept of circular economy has been implemented since the establishment of the company.

According to Max, at present, the rigid plastic packaging produced by the company can be recycled after use and used to produce non-food-grade products such as mobile phone cases, chairs, mice, and construction bricks. However, to realize the effective value of plastic recycling, the joint efforts of upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain are still required.

Since rPP cannot meet the standards of virgin PP in terms of transparency and high temperature resistance, Eka Pupai is still waiting to see whether to use rPP that meets FDA standards.

In addition to recyclable products, Eka Pupai also puts its sights on the fiery degradable plastic packaging field. Max shared that the company has been developing and using biodegradable materials to produce rigid plastic packaging. However, limited by the high temperature resistance of such materials, the company is still actively conducting continuous research on this problem with upstream raw material manufacturers. In terms of processing, due to the different shrinkage rates of degradable materials and PP, it is necessary to conduct in-depth research on related process parameters and mold design.

It is reported that on a sustainable road, Eka has incorporated rPP packaging structure, bio-based polypropylene structure, starch mixed polypropylene, and landfill biodegradable polypropylene structure into the company’s mid-term development plan; Material structure, butylene adipate and butylene terephthalate copolymer (PBAT) substrate structure, polybutylene succinate (PBS) substrate structure, polyhydroxyalkanoate ( PHA) The substrate structure is included in the long-term development plan.

Booming consumer market in the Z era

"Data shows that in 2020, the turnover of pet food in the United States will be around 300 billion U.S. dollars, while China only accounts for about 20% of the United States. However, the number of pets in China has far exceeded that of the United States, so we are more convinced that China is in this market. The room for growth in China will be much greater than that of the United States.” Max said excitedly, “On the other hand, China’s current pet food market is mainly dry food or snack food, and wet food accounts for a small proportion, mainly imported. After the brand parties discussed together, more and more brands began to focus on pet wet food to achieve product differentiation. With the introduction of more and more high-end pet food series, these products require high-quality Packaging to protect and preserve its ingredients."

Of course, the normalization of the epidemic has also led to more hoarding behaviors in the consumer market, which has brought favorable factors to promote the growth of the pet food market.

Behind the rapidly growing pet food market in China, how can packagers use innovation to help brands win the favor of a larger market? This problem is precisely what Eka Pupa, who has more than ten years of experience in pet packaging production, is very good at. For example, Eka Pupai knows that the main consumers of the Z era are more concerned about the functionality and convenience of packaging, the design of outer packaging, the advanced nature that can meet the emotional needs of pet owners, and the sustainability of packaging. Price attention, and Eka has deeply embedded these into the DNA of the R&D team.

At present, Eka Pupai's factory in Suzhou focuses on the production of shelf-stable rigid plastic packaging. It has 1 extrusion line, 5 thermoforming lines and 2 printing presses, with a daily production capacity of 4 million cups.

"The world's pets look at China, the Chinese market looks at cats, and the cat market looks at wet food." The pet industry and its founder Shiro Zeng pointedly pointed out the development trend of China's wet food market in the future. So, how will the high-barrier rigid plastic packaging that carry the development of the pet wet food market show its glory? We will wait and see.