Klöckner Pentaplast (kp) and Italian cold cuts producer GranTerre have won the “Best Packaging Award” at the Italian Packaging Awards for a recyclable rigid mono-PET pack developed for sliced cooked and cured meats.
The award recognises a joint project aimed at replacing conventional non-recyclable multilayer structures with a mono-material PET solution that maintains the functional requirements of sliced meat packaging while improving end-of-life recyclability.
At the centre of the project is kp’s MonoSeal® HB R material, an EVOH-free barrier solution designed as a rigid mono-PET pack. According to the companies, the structure offers full recyclability, contains up to 50% post-consumer recycled content, and delivers the same shelf life and pack performance as traditional multilayer alternatives.
The recycled content includes material from kp Tray2Tray®, the company’s closed-loop tray recycling stream. The pack is also positioned as aligned with the direction of upcoming Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) requirements, reflecting the wider industry push towards packaging structures that combine recyclability with the incorporation of recycled content.
For processors of sliced meats, the project addresses a longstanding packaging challenge. High-barrier structures have typically relied on more complex multi-material formats that can provide protection and shelf life but are difficult to recycle through conventional systems. The kp-GranTerre development was intended to show that a mono-material alternative can meet processing and product protection demands without requiring a compromise on pack functionality.
The companies said the packaging was tested extensively across GranTerre’s sliced cooked and cured meat portfolio. Validation work included production-line trials, machinability assessments and shelf-life testing, with the aim of confirming that the new format could operate effectively in an industrial environment and support commercial requirements across a full product range.
GranTerre said the work was based on balancing packaging performance with improved circularity outcomes. “This project shows what can be achieved when performance and recyclability are treated as equal priorities. By working closely with kp, we have validated a new packaging solution that protects product quality while significantly improving its end-of-life recyclability. This award recognises our shared commitment to innovation, sustainability and responsible packaging design,” said Marco Alberti, R&D Packaging Manager at GranTerre.
For kp, the result serves as a proof point for mono-material barrier packaging in a category where technical requirements remain demanding. “We are proud to partner with GranTerre on a solution that proves recyclable packaging can deliver the same performance as complex multilayer films. This award highlights the value of collaboration across the supply chain and reinforces our commitment to designing packaging for recycling, integrating recycled content and supporting the transition to a circular economy,” said Claudio Fornaciari, Business Development Manager, kp Food Packaging.
The project also illustrates a broader direction of travel in food packaging development, particularly in protein categories where recyclability targets, recycled content obligations and pack performance requirements increasingly need to be addressed at the same time. Rather than focusing only on lightweighting or material reduction, the GranTerre-kp project centres on redesigning the pack structure itself so that it can remain compatible with product protection needs while fitting more clearly into recycling systems.
For meat processors and packaging suppliers, that makes the award relevant beyond a single product launch. It points to growing commercial and regulatory pressure to move away from hard-to-recycle structures and towards formats that can support both food protection and material recovery. In this case, the companies are presenting mono-PET as a route to achieving that balance in sliced meat applications.
The recognition at the Italian Packaging Awards gives further visibility to efforts within the sector to commercialise recyclable barrier packs that are not limited to pilot scale, but are validated on production lines and across full product portfolios.
