FILM | ADDITIVES
Development of PFAS-free options in film
Additives have long been used to improve film extrusion processes and properties, but now they must deal with new regulatory pressures. Jennifer Markarian reports
A variety of additives are used in film extrusion to ease processing, improve properties or stability during use, and enhance recycling. Companies are keeping an eye on changes in regulations that may affect this area. One of the biggest areas of regulatory change for films is in processing aids. Traditional fluoro- polymer-based process aids are expected to be subject to limitations related to per- and polyfluoro- alkyl substances (PFAS) restrictions in some regions. The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), for example, limits PFAS in food-contact packaging in the EU beginning in August 2026. Several suppliers have introduced alternative polymer processing aids (PPAs) in the past few years for film applications, where the PPAs are used primarily to reduce melt fracture and die lip buildup.
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Henrik Eriksson, Technical Product Manager at Baerlocher, sees film producers shifting away from fluoropolymer-based PPAs for food packaging as well as non-food applications, but finding chal- lenges with using alternatives. “The performance of PFAS-free PPA is simply not as robust and indiffer- ent to the intricacies of various use cases, the way a fluoropolymer PPA is. For example, a PFAS-free PPA masterbatch may be more or less compatible with PPA-technology already present in a particular resin, or it can be more or less sensitive to the presence of further additives in the form of antistatics, slip and antiblock agents,” said Eriksson. “While traditional PPA was often added accord- ing to the extruder operator’s own discretion, film producers now find that the efficient production of certain products requires strict procedures and product specific dosage levels. Therefore, a key
Main image: Wacker’s Genioplast Pellet P Plus is an FDA-compli- ant silicone- based additive designed for food contact applications, including PP and BOPP films
January/February 2026 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 13
IMAGE: WACKER
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