From easier recycling to game-changing packaging
Exploring ways into a more circular future
Fortunately, the realization that packaging needs to become more sustainable has reached the majority of consumers, governments, and companies worldwide. But how can this goal be achieved? We believe that there are many ways to advance the circular economy, taking raw materials and accompanying technologies as a starting point.
In addition to replacing conventional raw materials with bio-based ones in the production process, we also develop material technologies that allow certain packaging types to be recycled that could not be recycled before. Plus, we offer technologies that reduce the amount of packaging material that needs to be disposed of in the first place.
High protection with less material needed
A large proportion of the packaging waste generated today is attributable to the food and beverages we consume. Extrusion polymers like low-density polyethylene (LDPE) have long been the material of choice in paper food packaging. They keep the contents fresh and well-protected, providing good resistance against oil, grease, and moisture. The difficulty: LDPE in combination with paper can hardly be recycled economically and, as a consequence, are usually burnt or end up in landfills, where they take many years to decompose.
Our barrier coating resins provide a more sustainable alternative to PE-extruded paper packaging. One advantage of these coatings and resins is that small quantities of material can produce the required performance, leading to lower production costs without sacrificing performance. These barrier coating resins reliably protect against heat and are resistant to water and grease.
Our barrier coating resins are also easier to fine-tune to your specific requirements and can readily replace existing PE-laminated stocks without significant changes to the machinery of paper mills and packaging converters.
Thin, functional coatings replacing thicker material layers
Conventional flexible barrier packaging, such as multilayer pouches and laminate films, are hard to recycle. To do so, several layers of polymers and metal foils have to be separated, which makes the procedure difficult from a cost perspective. Simplifying these types of packaging is therefore an important step toward increasing circularity in the packaging industry. Monomaterials containing predominantly one material type – for plastics, this normally means over 90% of one polymer – offer a promising way to address this challenge because they can be recycled as a single substance.
Unfortunately, many traditional monomaterial or reduced-material packaging solutions do not deliver the barrier performance needed to preserve food and other perishable goods, particularly in flexible packaging, which often relies on several layers. Our innovative coating resins form thin, functional coatings that give monomaterial packaging the protective qualities it takes to replace thicker material layers. The result: high-performance, flexible, and film packaging that can still be reused. As the proportion of the coating is limited to five percent of the total film structure’s weight, the material is still classified as a monomaterial and is recyclable.
