Austrian film and packaging manufacturer Schur Flexibles (Wiener Neudorf; www.schurflexibles.com), has unveiled its “EcoString” bread package – a plastic bag closed with a drawstring, similar to the packaging for cosmetics and cotton wool pads.

Instead of a standard metal or plastic clip closure, the bread bag uses a drawstring made of production waste. Schur Flexibles uses an edge trim of the bag for the drawstring so that the entire package consists of the same, fully recyclable mono polypropylene or polyethylene film.

Conversion to the EcoString bread bag required the company to adapt to a standard drawstring bag machine at the sealing station. Schur Flexibles, however, said the positive effects on sustainability and handling make the investment worthwhile.