At Sparflex, Absolute Green Line is gaining ground
2019/04/05
The Absolute Green Line range of alternative foils and capsules is already going down well with several leading wine houses, such as Gosset, Charles Heidsieck and Leclerc Biran, the last of which is very keen on biodynamics. Tops!
Sparflex is pushing back against polyethylene derived from hydrocarbons and against solvent inks with its Absolute Green Line range of foils for champagne, sparkling wine and beer and capsules for still wine printed using water-based ink and made from biopolyethylene sourced from ethanol (sugar cane). The foils and capsules are the culmination of more than ten years of research & development and millions of euros of investment, as Julie Renault, Sparflex PR Manager, points out with no small measure of pride.
“In 2006 we started basing our manufacture of foils and capsules on complexes [chemical compounds structured around a metal ion]. We invested heavily in hot stamping, which is one of the cleanest forms of printing. It has allowed us to use our complexes without any adhesives.” And to significantly reduce the firm’s carbon footprint.
All caps
“By using biopolyethylene and acrylic inks to make our foils, we are able to cut our carbon emissions by 80% compared with conventional materials. If we shifted our entire production to Absolute Green Line, we would cut the equivalent of 18 million kilometres worth of carbon emissions.” Wishful thinking? Not really. “Currently Absolute Green Line foils and capsules account for 30% of our order book. Our customers are increasingly conscious of the importance of sustainable development and are pressing us for alternative solutions.”
To top things off, Absolute Green Line foils and capsules lend themselves to the same high quality of decorations, finishes and fine touches as their conventional counterparts.