PLASTIGAUR

In 1978 Antxón Garmendia, together with his brother Juan Martín and their respective spouses, bought a small paper bag business and a serviettes business, which were closing due to retirement. Manipulados Enara S.A. was thus founded.

After rapid growth of their business and with the purchase of several extrusion machines, they entered the plastics industry, which was to end up becoming their only activity.

Shortly afterwards, in 1989, PLASTIGAUR was opened in a new 2000 m2 industrial unit in the town of Andoain, where the second-hand machinery was replaced with new machinery. The order book quickly grew and R+D+i began to be a priority matter.

Today, sustainability has become a key challenge for society. According to the EU functional packaging regulation, packaging must be aligned with the circular economy strategy and comply with the 2030 standard.

“Plastigaur is well aware of this, as we have been leading the way in the development of efficient flexible packaging for years. Packaging that minimises waste and uses recycled materials“, says Asier Flores, Director of Quality, R&D and Sustainability at PLASTIGAUR.

“To move forward in this challenge, we considered addressing the impact of circularity from the design phase to be essential. In other words, developing sustainable films without compromising their functional and barrier properties, ensuring the shelf life of food“, tells Sonia Fórez, Director of Functional and Sustainable Polymer Projects at TECNALIA.

This collaboration has enabled us to develop innovative and sustainable solutions in the packaging sector thanks to the creation of a new sustainable film. This film is made up of three layers of polyethylene, making it a mono-material solution that is 100% recyclable at the end of its useful life.

Its multilayer structure, in addition to facilitating recovery in mechanical recycling processes, offers excellent thermal resistance, ensuring effective heat sealability. This ensures the tightness of the packaging, protecting the contents from external agents and preserving its properties throughout the distribution chain.

Its positive impact has therefore been twofold, both economically and environmentally: On the one hand, its implementation is estimated to increase our turnover by EUR 3 million over the coming five years.

And from an environmental point of view, this development is a major step towards the sustainability goals. As the packaging is mono-material and recyclable, it facilitates waste management, reduces the use of virgin raw materials, fosters the circular economy and helps to reduce both food waste and CO2 emissions…