Biopax Ltd is a sustainable packaging and labels company, based in Northern Ireland, in west Belfast. In the past few years, the company has been rapidly expanding and their latest investment was centred around a new machine which will have significant benefits for the on-the-go deli and quick-serve restaurants.

For a long time, food companies based in the UK and Ireland have relied on imports from Asia and Europe to provide packaging for their products. However, the arrival of this innovative new machine, will revolutionise this process and provide food companies not only with a more accessible source for packaging, but also a more sustainable one. The machine, which was a multi-million-pound investment, will provide a supply of more than 500 million units annually and meets requirements to be classed as an environmentally friendly product. This excellent new machine will significantly reduce the necessity for importing paper used to wrap food products.

On top of the benefit of reducing imports, the new form of packaging will provide benefits to customers and will also provide the food industry with information about ways to improve. Biopax is focused on providing supply chains with solutions to their current unsustainable packaging issues. This solution comes in the form of plastic-free, recyclable and compostable fibre-based packaging and the machine will enable the company to produce the product at an efficient rate that meets the constant growth of demand. Currently the company has an annual growth of 25% in on-the-go, pharmaceutical, and quick-serve restaurant products. Furthermore, the paper is manufactured in a way that meets Biopax’s sustainability goals as it is recyclable, re-pulpable, compostable and also maintains a high barrier performance against a variety of food, including hot foods, salads and sauces. This barrier is enabled through the addition of the plant-base grease coating.

All of these qualities combined, means that Biopax has successfully created an efficient new greener manufacturing process for the production of food packaging materials, which has multiple benefits for consumers, retailers and the environment. Using this machine means that the production of the packaging will be as efficient as possible and adjustments to the packaging will be able to be easily made.

The chairman of Biopax, Dr Terry Cross OBE, commented, "Biopax promises to deliver a long-term solution to the plastic problem in the packaging sector and by continually reinvesting in the best equipment we will be able to increase our capabilities and fast track the delivery of green packaging and allow the markets that we serve a more domestic product. In addition to this commitment, we are poised to embark on a significant expansion of our Springvale Business Park site in West Belfast next year, doubling its size to further support the changing needs of our customers. We will continue to invest whatever it takes to support the evolving needs of both existing and future customers.”