Popular Francine flour switched to EcoCan

“EcoCan has replaced the old multi-material package, which had a plastic lid and metallic bottom. The flour has a shelf life of 12 months and its packaging requires vapour resistance. The protection provided by the EcoCan is achieved using a three-layer construction with only 2.7 percent plastic material, while the remainder is made from renewable paper and board,” says Guillaume Sireix, General Director of Can Packaging.

The body of the package is made from Stora Enso’s fully coated recycled board Triplex Gris, heat-sealed on top of white-lined chipboard and bleached kraft inner liner. The reclosable lid is made from Ensocoat and the bottom from Cupforma Classic. “The lid and the bottom are the most demanding parts in terms of formability. That is why the material has to be based on primary fibre, which provides the required mechanical properties, including folding strength.”

The annual production of Francine packs is in the millions. Good runnability of the package in the filling line is a prerequisite. Can Packaging has developed a state-of-the-art filling line to fulfil all the customer’s requirements for production capacity, hygiene management and quality control. One advantage of the board-based package is that it can pass through metal detection at the end of the filling line, which further improves food safety.

Can Packaging uses a patented Xform forming process, which makes the board-based can very stable and ensures that it maintains its rectangular shape. “The package must be very strong to bear the weight when each pallet is loaded with up to 700 kilograms of flour. The new package allows us to optimise the use of pallet space and full trucks,” says Stephane Matton, who is responsible for packaging at Euromill Nord.

For superb print result, the Francine packs are printed with a rotogravure process by CPC Cotentin. “The brand is the most important aspect for consumers, and everybody is familiar with Francine. Environmental awareness is also growing and because of this trend, we have experienced an increase in EcoCan sales in Germany. This will probably also be a major demand driver in France and the UK,” concludes Georges Sireix, President of Can Packaging.