Sustainable packaging and circular economy
At Hanegal, we take pride in using sustainable packaging that is produced with consideration for our environment and does not compromise food safety. 
Plastic
Plastic remains one of the best materials for protecting food and it makes it possible to move and store food. For that reason, plastic helps to reduce food waste as it promotes good food safety. Unfortunately, the use of plastic is also a problem because we have produced and used plastic for decades without taking into account the environmental pollution that the product causes. This pollution arises when plastic is not collected, sorted and recycled.
Plastic is made from old or new plant material. The old plant material is oil, which is extracted from under the ground. Plastic from new plants is most often referred to as bioplastic. Regardless of whether we use plastic from old or new plants, it is important that it can be sorted and reused. It is also very important to integrate all types of plastic into the circular economy.
The prerequisite for recycling plastics is that the packaging can be taken apart. Paper must not have been glued to the plastic material, it cannot be coated in wax or anything else that cannot be separated, and it must consist of a monoplastic – i.e. a single type of plastic that can be reused. It is also an advantage if it is easy to clean.
A recent focus on this area has seen politicians, the packaging industry and NGOs all agree that we need to work towards using only monoplastics for food packaging. Each individual package must consist of just one type of plastic, i.e. monoplastic. There are 3 main types: PET, PE or PP plastic. The type must be stated on the packaging. This makes sorting at the source much easier.
We use C-PET plastic for both pâté and ready meal trays. This material currently consists of 85% recycled plastic, but we hope to push this number much higher in the future. C-PET is a type of plastic that is heat-resistant and does not allow air to penetrate. The sleeve we wrap around our ready meals is produced from FSC-certified cardboard.