07,22,2026 3 views
Hot and delicious food that can be eaten in just a few minutes——This is the charm of instant noodles.
The essence of instant noodles lies in convenience: simply pour boiling water and heat for a moment to enjoy, and behind this convenience lies carefully designed packaging that ensures safe and convenient use. Nowadays, this type of packaging needs to be more environmentally friendly and fully recyclable.
Moving towards single material packaging
In Korea, traditional instant noodle bowls are often made of coated paper or polystyrene material, both of which are difficult to recycle. The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework in South Korea attaches great importance to the recyclability of packaging and has established a grading system to prioritize supporting materials that are easy to sort and recycle.
To this end, Borough International has partnered with Amlum Systems Korea to develop a single material, lightweight instant noodle packaging solution for this high demand scenario——New insulated polypropylene (PP) foam bowlThe single material design avoids the separation problem of multi material structures and greatly improves recyclability. This scheme not only meets strict performance standards, but also meets the requirements of the strict extended producer responsibility system framework, obtaining a higher recycling rating in the South Korean EPR system, while also aligning with global sustainable development goals and circular economy concepts.
Practical bowl shape with high temperature resistance
The project faces multiple technical challenges: the container must withstand boiling water, not deform under microwave heating, have no odor, and have excellent insulation performance, making it comfortable to hold when consumed.
In addition, the solution also needs to be adapted for mass production: the foam sheet used for bowl making must have a stable structure, uniform thickness, ensure stable hot forming process, and be compatible with existing hot forming equipment. Stable and efficient processing is the core of large-scale and sustainable packaging solutions.
Specially designed instant noodle bowl for recycling
Boluo International and Amlum Systems Korea jointly tackle challenges and selectDaploy™ WB140HMSA high melt strength polypropylene (HMS PP) specifically designed for foaming applications is used as the material for making instant noodle bowls. This material can form a controllable microporous foam structure and produce advanced polypropylene foam sheets with uniform and fine pore structures, fully meeting the requirements of microwave instant noodle bowls.
This solution has multiple performance advantages
Low thermal conductivity and good insulation effect
High temperature resistance and dimensional stability during microwave heating
Lightweight foam structure reduces the use of plastic materials
Compatible with traditional hot forming production lines, stable and reliable processing
100% single polypropylene material, fully recyclable
Assist customers in creating recyclable packaging
This new type of instant noodle bowl provides a single material solution for food container manufacturers, helping them reduce the cost of EPR compliance in South Korea.
Peter Voortmans from Boru International commented:
The packaging of microwave instant noodle bowls has very high material requirements. Based on our 'We4Customs' strategy, we work closely with our industry chain partners to dig deep into demand and create material solutions that balance performance and recyclable design.
Andrew Kim, CEO of Amlum Systems, stated:
Our goal is to develop a single material solution that meets the stringent performance requirements of microwave instant noodle bowls while also improving recyclability. Through close cooperation with Boru International, we have successfully selected suitable materials to bring this solution to the market.
