Why PA

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One material

Countless advantages for businesses and consumers

Known for many decades for its outstanding technical properties for food packaging, such as flexibility, puncture resistance and optimal machinability, polyamide is a material offering substantial benefits in terms of sustainability: it makes it possible to create extremely thin packaging, which means reducing the amount of packaging waste, and it helps improve the recyclate quality at the end of life phase, which in turns leads to the reduction of the amount of plastics being landfilled or incinerated. The other technical advantages of polyamide, such as its excellent aroma and gas barrier properties, when used in advanced packaging for food, make a longer shelf life possible. This in turns helps reduce the amount of food waste. And last but not least, advanced packaging solutions containing polyamide help create an ideal visual experience for consumers, when holding the product in their hands.

thermoformability

aroma and gas barrier

puncture resistance

Strong. Safe. Light.

Applications that improve quality of life

Polyamide is a polymer that has improved the quality of life of people around the globe, keeping food fresh and ensuring the health and wellbeing of consumers. The versatile benefits of PA when used in the food industry make it an important component of vacuum (shrink) bags, thermo-formed flexible packaging and pouches used for meat, cheese, fish, baked goods, etc.

meat
cheese
fish
baked goods
other

This important barrier provides protection from oxygen and chemicals (i.e., it ensures freshness and avoids contamination) to degrees that out-perform materials such as LDPE, and it has excellent thermoformability and heat resistance properties, meaning it can be sterilized and quickly sealed. It’s strong, tough and rigid, while being extremely resistant to punctures. Moreover, polyamide complies with food-contact regulations and its advanced optical properties offer advantages in terms of product presentation.

Do more, with less

A high-performer that saves packaging material

When incorporated into advanced packaging materials, polyamide can maintain the technical qualities required of flexible packaging for food, while using less plastic thanks to downgauging. This means less waste ends up in incineration or landfills. When a layer of polyamide is ‘tied’ to a layer of LDPE, the total thickness can be a mere 70 µm—that’s a drastic reduction compared to the 150 µm of standard PE film.* A thin barrier, but with unbeatable performance. Doing more, with less.

*Source: UBE Corporation Europe

Recyclable

Using standard recycling equipment

Polyamide is an important component of advanced flexible packaging, found in quantities ranging from 10% to 30%. Recently, combined materials such as polyethylene-polyamide (PE/PA) have been presented as difficult to recycle, but this couldn’t be further from the truth: their recyclability has been certified according to a major protocol. Recycling polyolefin-polyamide blends is more than possible, it’s simple and has been practiced for decades, resulting in film with new (at times even improved) material qualities. Moreover, there is no impact on the purity of the recycled PE when PA is used in the above-mentioned quantities, thanks to the use of tie layers (which are always present in coextruded PE/PA structures) and compatibilizers. This means that already-existent recycling machinery can be used, without having to implement costly upgrades to waste management plants or divert materials into separate recycling streams.

Read more about Compatibility & Recycling

Read more about Compatibility & Recycling

white paper

Doing our part

A more sustainable food industry

Our efforts at APA are consistently targeted at one final goal: a better future for generations to come. To reach that goal, it’s important to look at the big picture, considering every aspect along the value chain when it comes to sustainability.

For that reason, we take recyclability and circularity into account, but we go one step further, examining factors such as the impact of polyamide on freshness and shelf life, thereby reducing food waste (estimated to be 25%-50% globally) or the quantity of materials needed to create a perfectly sealed package (a low package-to-product ratio, ultimately generating less material that could potentially end up in a landfill).

Resources

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Can packaging sustainability and food protection go hand in hand? Absolutely.

The Advanced Packaging Association (APA) is pleased to present this exclusive interview with Dr. Gary Ward, Chief Technology Officer of StePacPPC, a global leader in precision-engineered modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) solutions for fresh produce and a proud member of APA. With more than 20 years of combined experience in academia and the fresh produce industry, […]

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Advanced Packaging: The Perfect Balance Between Recyclability and Functionality

Meetingpack_2026_ APACan advanced packaging containing polyamide be both high-performing and recyclable? The answer is yes — and the evidence is in. At MeetingPack 2026, the Advanced Packaging Association (APA) presented the latest science-based findings on the role of polyamide in flexible packaging. From industrial food packaging trials to large-scale recycling projects, this presentation brings together […]

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APA Webinar: Recording Now Available

During the session, Carmen Roveda (APA Steering Committee Member and Vice‑President, Sealed Air) and Sergi Salvà Sàez (APA Technical Workstream Coordinator, UBE Corporation Europe) addressed common myths surrounding polyamides and provided a fact‑based overview of their role in packaging applications. The speakers explained why polyamides are often discussed critically and how scientific assessments help to […]

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Facts Matter: Polyamides and Design for Recycling

Executive summary  APA welcomes the publication of the European Design for Recycling EN 18120 standards by the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) as a first step towards a harmonised European approach to recyclability assessment. The standards should be seen as a technical baseline reflecting current knowledge, intended to inform, not pre-empt, the development of recyclability […]

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The Advanced Packaging Association (APA) and Finnish meat industry companies Atria, HKFoods and Snellman cooperate to advocate for functional packaging in PPWR debate

Brussels [04/12/2025] The Advanced Packaging Association (APA), in collaboration with Finnish meat industry companies, is calling attention to the critical role of packaging functionality in achieving sustainability goals under the EU’s new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). While PPWR sets ambitious targets for recyclability, it also raises concerns about the future of essential materials […]

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Supravis interview by APA
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“The best path forward is to design together” Packaging with Purpose: Supravis President Shares Insights on Material Innovation and Environmental Impact

On the occasion of Fachpack 2025, the Advanced Packaging Association (APA) conducted an exclusive interview with Mr. Michał Thomas, the President of Supravis, S.A., a distinguished member company specializing in high-performance flexible packaging solutions. The discussion provided valuable insights into the evolving role of barrier materials in food protection, the importance of science-driven innovation in polymer design, […]

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