New packaging helps the fishing fleet’s transition to the Green Shift

For over three years, BEWI has been working on developing and testing HG packaging that should be one hundred percent recyclable. This is a sack for sea frozen head-scratched and gutted fish (HG; headed and gutted).
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Hundred percent recyclable

The future lies in good cooperation with our customers

“It looks like the new bag can take care of the fish quality just as well as the classic HG bag. The new bag is also lighter and much more space-saving, and not least – it can be returned for recycling after use”, says Bjørn Giske, general manager of Nye Giske Havfiske and the freezer trawler Atlantic Viking.

Preserves quality

BEWI has been operating with seafood packaging for more than 50 years. Among others, the company has delivered the classic Nordic bag, which is a plastic and paper bag for sea frozen decapitated and gutted fish (HG), to the deep-sea fishing fleet for more than 20 years. Now they are in the process of developing a one hundred percent recyclable HG bag.

 

For more than three years, BEWI has been working with developing and testing of a one hundred percent recyclable HG packaging. In January 2022, the shipping company Nye Giske Havfiske started testing the recyclable HG bag Nordic Eco Bag on board the “Atlantic Viking”. 250 tonnes of cod and saithe have been packed after just under a month at sea. Despite of the bad weather during the trip, the testing has been very successful.

 

On the 2nd of February, «Atlantic Viking» delivered its first cargo packed with the new environmentally friendly packaging in Ålesund. They have been operating in the Barents Sea, fishing 750 tonnes of white fish, and now the fish will go on to auction in Norway and further out into the world.

“It is always exciting when you are about to try something new, especially when the packaging will take care of large values that will be handled and transported in several stages from the sea to land. Nordic Eco Bag is relatively well placed in the freezer compartment, it is easy to work with, and the bag is strong and durable”, says Bjørn Giske at Nye Giske Havfiske

 

International requirements

Tatjana Longva, sales manager at BEWI for the sea frozen market in Europe and the US, tells that increasing demands from end customers in most European countries require that the packaging must be made of sustainable materials.

“I am glad that both we and the shipping company so far can conclude that this works, without the detriment of food safety, food waste and quality”, says Longva.

She further reveals that with the EU’s taxonomy, incentives have been introduced for the use of recyclable materials, and the market for recycled raw materials is developing rapidly.

“What we are doing in collaboration with the fishing industry is completely in line with the EU and Norway’s commitment to the circular economy, as well as stricter requirements for the recycling of materials and used packaging.”

Nordic Eco Bag lifts the HG packaging a step up in the waste hierarchy. From Energy recovery to recycling

 

Creating added value from waste

“As a packaging supplier, we feel a responsibility to help the fishing boats with the transition towards the green shift. We want to contribute to reducing the climate footprint, and if we can create added value from waste, this is also a motivating element.

Nordic Eco Bag represents comprehensive and profitable changes in several aspects. When using the Nordic Eco Bag, there is no cost when returning it to the recycling facilities. Since it can be recycled, the environmental benefit for both the industry and nature is rapid”, Longva further explains.

Nordic Eco Bag consists of an attractive material, namely monoplastic or homogeneous plastic. This is the very precondition for the packaging to be 100 percent recyclable, with an existing market all over the world. As of today, the market value of returned material is NOK 1,000 per tonne.

“The future lies in a good collaboration with the customers. Together, we develop new and good solutions, which fit into the circular way of thinking”, concludes Tatjana Longva in BEWI.

 

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Fra høyre Bjørn Giske Terje Synes Nikolai Giske

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Atlantic Viking under lossing

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Losset HG pakket i Nordic Eco Bag

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Nordic Eco Bag lukking

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Tatjana Longva Nordic Eco Bag

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