MATERIALS | POLYOLEFINS
post-consumer recyclate (PCR) – derived from stretch film – combined with its Exceed Tough m3812 polyethylene it saw a reduction in the size of the larger polymer gels. “With most commercial PCR grades on the
Above:
Winpak will use recyclate from Nova in packaging materials to protect
perishable foods
an annual turnover of around €40 million. Around half its annual production is sold within the Baltic states, and the remainder is exported. Rani Plast sales director Dennis Granqvist will become Umaras’ new CEO.
Tissue packaging Borealis has helped Rani Plast to develop tissue paper packaging that contains 80% post-consumer recycled (PCR) polyethylene. Designed for products such as kitchen roll, the multi-layer film uses Borcycle M CWT100VL – plus 20% virgin resin – to deliver the same strength and performance as conventional packaging, without increasing film thickness. Borealis says the new packaging has a 50% lower carbon footprint than traditional packaging. “This advance means we can now offer our customers packaging solutions at the cutting edge of sustainability,” said Rikhard Storbacka, procurement and R&D director at Rani Plast. Prior to this, the companies collaborated to create a flexible film with 55% PCR content.
Right: Borealis has helped Rani Plast
develop tissue paper packaging with 80% PCR
polyethylene
Recycled stretch film ExxonMobil has teamed up with Colines and Gneuss to produce stretch film that incorporates recycled content. This is to overcome the fact that LDPE/ LLDPE that has undergone extensive mechanical processing can be difficult to convert into new film on conventional production lines. The gels and black dots that typically
reduce the quality of recyclate can be minimised by using appropriate materials from ExxonMobil, a pressure-constant screenchanger from Gneuss and a flexible cast film line from Colines. When ExxonMobil conducted trials using
26 FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | January/February 2025
www.filmandsheet.com
market, extrusion lines often cannot run continuously,” said Bart Lauwers, principal extrusion customer and application development at ExxonMobil. “Filtration removes a significant proportion of the impurities present in the melt, but not all the gels.” The tests demonstrated the ability to produce film with 30% PCR content for automatic use with a consistency of 180-200% without the need to stop the line, other than for routine operations such as lip die cleaning or chill roll cleaning. A key factor was the Gneuss RSFgenius self-cleaning screenchanger, which renewed the screen surface with no measurable pressure fluctuations. It has typical screen finenesses of 30-75 microns. By incorporating the screenchanger, Colines has
created several large-scale production lines dedicated to recycled content – with more under development.
Thinner skin ExxonMobil has also helped a flexpack producer to develop an ionomer-free vacuum skin packaging (VSP).
VSP is used to package products such as meat – by applying heat to a thin plastic layer, then drawing it over the product and a tray, and removing the air using a vacuum. Videplast, a Brazilian packaging converter, saw the chance to replace its existing resin with a new one from ExxonMobil, to create a solution with reduced film thickness that does not contain ionomers. “We saw an opportunity to develop a
differentiated structure for the VSP film,” said Leonardo Nunes da Silva, R&D manager at Videplast. “By creating a unique structure that does not contain ionomers, we saw an opportunity to
IMAGE: NOVA
IMAGE: BOREALIS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
