The first compostable sachets, which boast 12 months’ shelf life and are home or industrially compostable, will soon be in the market.
In recent years, small sachet formats have come under scrutiny for the environmental challenges they pose. Commonly used to dispense condiments, sauces, personal care creams, and other liquid products, these single-use plastic envelopes offer convenience to consumers — yet present significant end-of-life issues, rendering them unrecyclable.
That’s beginning to change. Japan-based compostable film producer Futamura, compostable packaging supplier Repaq, and machine manufacturer GK Sondermaschinenbau (GKS) partnered to deliver a sustainable breakthrough: a fully compostable sachet.
Cellulose-based film is critical
The sachet is based on Futamura’s NatureFlex technology, designed to package liquid products such as ketchup, mustard, cooking sauces, and hand cream. The laminate structure combines Futamura’s cellulose-based barrier film with a separate biopolymer film layer that ensures hermetic sealing. Both are certified compostable for industrial and home composting environments.
The first compostable sachets are expected to enter the market soon.
“It was important for us to replace this non-recyclable packaging, which can pollute the environment, with a compostable solution,” says Sven Seevers, technology manager at Repaq. “After two years of development in close cooperation with our partners, we’ve succeeded. Our new packaging offers excellent product protection and meaningful ecological benefits — without compromising packing speeds.”
For liquid applications, the compostable sachets offer an oxygen transmission rate of 0.5 (at 23°C and 50% relative humidity) and a shelf life of up to 12 months.
Sachets pass machineability tests
GSK reports the machineability of these new sachets has been proven at scale, with no drop in efficiency compared to conventional plastic sachets. This performance consistency has been reported across a range of the company’s machinery sizes — small, medium, and large.
Nico Merkel, sales director at GKS, adds: “We’re pleased that our machinery played a role in developing these innovative packaging solutions. It’s been rewarding to produce and test these sachets in our facilities. The results clearly show they can withstand high pressure over time, with almost no machinery adjustments needed to run Repaq’s compostable structures.”
The launch was an exciting milestone for Joachim Janz, regional sales manager at Futamura:
“This is the perfect answer to the demand for a fully compostable packaging portfolio across food and nonfood products. Small-portion sachets have always posed recycling challenges, so achieving compostability here is a major success.”