Constantia Flexibles opens 100% sustainable flexible packaging plant in India

The Constantia Ecoflex Ahmedabad plant is equipped with state-of-the-art technology such as this blown film extruder from Hosokawa Alpine. Photo Credit: Constantia Flexibles

Austria-based Constantia Flexibles, one of the world’s largest producers of flexible packaging, is opening what it calls the “world’s first plant designed to produce more sustainable and recyclable flexible packaging only”, in India.

Production focus at the plant lies on the more environmentally-friendly packaging family EcoLam. The official opening will take place on November 20 in Ahmedabad.

After a construction time of more than two years, Constantia Ecoflex Ahmedabad started test runs in September 2019. The plant has an area of 24,500 square meters (263,716 square feet), and currently employs 50 workers – a number that’s expected to triple by the second quarter of 2020.

“The decision to open a plant in India was relatively straightforward,” Constantia Flexibles said in a statement. “Amongst others, the new ‘Plastic Waste Management Rules’ show, that Indian government can exert pressure on the recycling economy and that it supports initiatives and companies which advocate for less waste.”

The solutions produced at the new plant all belong to the product family EcoLam, which is part of Constantia Flexibles’ Ecolutions product line. The company describes EcoLam as a lightweight mono-polyethylene laminate suitable for a wide variety of packaging applications. Due to its mono-material structure, it is fully recyclable and offers a carbon footprint that’s approximately 32 per cent lower than that of comparable products.

“The EcoLam family comes in different barrier grades (EcoLam, EcoLamPlus, EcoLamHighPlus) to deliver the barrier needs for a diverse range of products,” the firm said.