The problem
A retort pouch is a modern alternative to a tin can. Food is sealed in the pouch and then sterilised at high temperature, so the pack must survive heat and pressure, block oxygen and bacteria, and keep food safe for a long time without refrigeration. The standard answer is a laminate of PET, aluminium foil and polypropylene. These layers cannot be separated, so the pouches cannot be recycled and are burned or landfilled.
Amcor’s chief commercial officer said in 2020 that the technology to solve retort recyclability “simply did not exist” (Amcor). Flexible packaging in general recycles poorly: the CEFLEX consortium estimated in 2021 that only about 17% of flexible packaging in Europe is turned into new raw material (CEFLEX).
The product
AmLite HeatFlex Recyclable is a polyolefin pouch built from oriented polypropylene (OPP), Amcor’s AmLite barrier layer and polypropylene (PP). The key is a transparent silicon oxide coating that gives high oxygen and moisture barrier without metal. Amcor says this suits long preservation and more complex recipes better than simpler mono-PP pouches with an EVOH barrier (Amcor).
Uses include wet pet food, ready meals, soups, pre-cooked rice and baby food, with an optional transparent window. The pouch was independently tested by cyclos-HTP and confirmed recyclable, fits existing plastic collection in Germany, Austria, Italy, Norway and the Netherlands, and Amcor expects the list of countries to grow.
Two early brand launches:
- Nestlé Purina: announced on 29 September 2020, the world’s first recyclable flexible retort pouch, for wet cat food, in Dutch stores from October 2020 (Amcor).
- Mars Food: the two companies began working together in 2018 on mono-PP microwave rice pouches for Ben’s Original and Seeds of Change. The pack reached Tesco stores in April 2021, the first stand-up pouch and first microwaveable use of AmLite HeatFlex, and was shortlisted for the UK Packaging Awards 2021. Its launch coincided with several large UK retailers starting in-store collection trials for flexible packaging.
How it works
- No foil: a thin silicon oxide coating on polypropylene film blocks oxygen and moisture in place of aluminium.
- Heat-proof polyolefins: OPP and PP layers survive retort sterilisation and microwave reheating.
- One family of plastics: because the pouch is almost entirely polypropylene, it can be sorted into the polyolefin stream where flexible packaging is collected.
- Lighter than cans: the pouch weighs far less than a can or jar, cutting transport emissions.
Timeline
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2018 | Mars Food and Amcor start developing a recyclable mono-PP rice pouch |
| 29 Sep 2020 | AmLite HeatFlex Recyclable announced as the first recyclable retort pouch |
| Oct 2020 | Nestlé wet cat food in the pouch on sale in the Netherlands |
| Apr 2021 | Mars Food rice pouches on sale at Tesco, UK |
| Apr 2022 | AmLite HeatFlex wins a Gold award at the Packaging Innovation Awards |
| 30 Apr 2025 | Amcor completes its combination with Berry Global |
| 30 Jun 2025 | End of Amcor’s 2025 recyclability pledge period (72% of packaging designed for recyclability) |
| 9 Mar 2026 | New high-barrier film line opens at Lugo di Vicenza, Italy |
Impact and numbers
- Carbon: up to 60% lower footprint than a PET/aluminium/PP retort pouch, from Amcor’s Carbon Trust-certified ASSET tool; the maximum assumes 100% recycling.
- Portfolio: in FY2025, 72% of Amcor’s packaging production by weight met its recyclability definitions (96% of rigid, 49% of flexible), worth USD 8 billion in revenue; recycle-ready options existed for 96% of its flexible portfolio by area (Amcor FY25 Sustainability Report).
- Capacity: the extended Lugo di Vicenza site, close to 7,000 square metres with its own quality lab and temperature-controlled curing warehouse, now makes high-barrier recycle-ready films at large scale for lidding and pouches (Amcor).
- Scale: FY2026 net sales of USD 23.5 billion, up 57%, mainly from the Berry deal (Amcor).
Honest caveats. Amcor pledged in 2018 to make all its packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025, and did not get there: 72% overall, and only 49% of flexible packaging production. Amcor itself calls flexible packaging “recycle-ready”, meaning it can be recycled with current technology but collection and sorting “may not yet be widely available”. The 60% carbon saving assumes every pouch is recycled, which does not happen, and the comparison is with the old foil pouch, not with reuse. Recyclability was confirmed for five countries’ collection systems; elsewhere the pouch is likely still burned or landfilled. Amcor’s report also admits that it “ultimately lack[s] control” over how fast customers switch to recycle-ready packs, so the 96% of the flexible portfolio with a recycle-ready option available is very different from what is actually sold.
What’s next
Amcor says the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, which requires brands to switch to recycle-ready packaging by 2030, is driving demand for its Lugo films, The Berry Global combination adds a large rigid and film business whose recyclability now has to be reported alongside Amcor’s own. Watch for more brand launches outside pet food and rice, and for evidence that collected pouches are being recycled into new products.
Why it matters for Europe / green buyers
Under the PPWR, all packaging on the EU market must be recyclable from 2030, graded by design for recycling criteria, with later tests of recycling “at scale” (EUR-Lex). Foil retort pouches are among the formats most at risk. For pet food and ready-meal brands, a certified mono-polyolefin retort pouch is one of the few drop-in options. Buyers should check certificates for each market and ask whether local systems actually collect flexible film.
India’s EPR guidelines for plastic packaging, notified on 16 February 2022, include multi-layered packaging and set minimum recycling targets that rise to 60% to 80% from 2027-28 (PIB). Retort pouches are widely used in India for ready-to-eat curries and rice, so recyclable mono-material retort structures are directly relevant to Indian food brands, even though Amcor has not announced AmLite HeatFlex production in India.
Sources & image credits
- Amcor, “Amcor develops world-first recyclable retort flexible packaging”, 29 September 2020: https://www.amcor.com/media/news/amcor-develops-world-first-recyclable-retort-flexible-packaging
- Amcor, “Amcor and Nestlé launch first recyclable pet food packaging pouch”, 29 September 2020: https://www.amcor.com/media/news/recyclable-retort-pouch-pet-food
- Amcor, “Amcor and Mars Food shortlisted for UK Packaging Awards 2021”: https://www.amcor.com/insights/blogs/amlite-heatflex-retort-packaging-awards
- Amcor, “Amcor’s expanded facility in Italy will meet demand for recyclable packaging”, 9 March 2026: https://www.amcor.com/media/news/amcor-plant-expansion-recycle-ready-packaging
- Amcor, FY2025 Sustainability Report: https://assets.ctfassets.net/f7tuyt85vtoa/335OFZuc1oX9OJSeLEAQW1/3fbd713dedc1488907fe3d433584a468/Amcor_FY25_Sustainability_Report.pdf
- Amcor, “Amcor completes combination with Berry Global”, 30 April 2025: https://www.amcor.com/media/news/amcor-completes-combination-with-berry-global
- Amcor, “Amcor reports strong fourth quarter and full-year results”, fiscal 2026: https://www.amcor.com/media/news/amcor-reports-full-year-2026-financial-results
- CEFLEX, “Collection: the foundation for flexible packaging’s circular economy”, 7 October 2021: https://ceflex.eu/collection-the-foundation-for-flexible-packagings-circular-economy/
- EUR-Lex, Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2025/40/oj
- Press Information Bureau, Government of India, EPR guidelines for plastic packaging, 13 February 2023: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1898892&lang=2®=3
Images:
- “Amcor Flexibles Kreuzlingen AG” by JoachimKohler-HB, 2020, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amcor_Flexibles_Kreuzlingen_AG.jpg
