FILM | ADDITIVES
Circular demands for increased recycled content in films is driving demand for development of new sustainability-focused additives. Mark Holmes reports
Sustainability the key driver in film additive innovation
Sustainability is one of the most dominant topics in any plastic film discussions today. Producers are responding to demands from consumers and brand owners for greater use of recycled material in packaging and that, in turn, is driving new developments in additive technology. The latest introductions aim to support larger quantities of recyclate in films while maintaining the mechanical properties and aesthetics, as well as enabling the development of film structures with fewer and thinner layers of dissimilar materials to facilitate easier recycling. In today’s marketplace, suppliers of flexible
packaging have to become more creative in their development, according to Milliken. “They need robust solutions in order to achieve all the desired mechanical properties, shelf-life needs and recyclability goals of flexible packaging,” says Katie Kellogg, Global Product Manager in Milliken’s Chemical Division.
www.compoundingworld.com
“The desire for more mono-material polyethylene film structures requires manufacturers to evolve the typical multi-layer structure that has been used to achieve the package goals, which Milliken’s UltraGuard Solutions can help enable. Also, with the world’s ever-evolving supply chains, improved barrier properties in flexible packaging have the potential to allow for improved shelf-life, which may enable less food waste over time,” she says. According to Milliken, both consumers and
brands want to see improved circularity and recyclability and that is shifting industry demand to mono-material solutions. With this shift comes the need for technologies to provide standard physical properties and shelf-life, for example, which have typically been achieved with alternative formulations such as EVOH, PA and metallized film layers (all of which can create problems for recyclers downstream). The company says the incorporation of its UltraGuard Solutions tailored
January 2023 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 15
Main image: Film producers are looking for additive
solutions that provide
performance with
sustainability
IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK
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