MATERIALS | POLYOLEFINS


Right: Dow, Macchi and ITP have


developed a mono-PE pouch with 50% recycled content


“High-barrier flexible packaging has historically been difficult to recycle, but this project demonstrates how collaborative R&D can accelerate real change,” said Jakub Pędziński, pouches business development leader at Masterpress. “By testing our single-layer pouch within this consortium, we are contributing to innovations that keep materials in the loop and support Europe’s transition toward sustainable packaging.” As part of Before’s work on high-barrier, co-extruded


“With our combined innovation,


we are delivering a solution that meets legislative requirements and advances sustainability in the pet food packaging segment,” said Antonio Barrasus, commercial director at Zermatt.


IMAGE: DOW


polyethylene (PE) stand-up pouches, Masterpress contributes one of the project’s key plastic case studies – its single-layer, non-laminated stand-up pouch for liquid soap. Masterpress’s pouch is made from a single mono-material PE/EVOH structure. It is engineered to sort correctly in recycling facilities and work within existing PE recycling systems.


Below: TotalEnergies and SML have developed downgauged films for packaging


Pouch development At K2025 last year, Dow, Macchi and ITP showed a mono-polyethylene (mono-PE) pouch containing over 50% recycled plastic content from chemical recycling. This enables increased uptake of recycled content into technically challenging or regulated applications like food packaging, minimising reliance on virgin resources. The method also ensures that packaging materials are safe for direct contact with food products. The pouch proactively addresses the upcoming


EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) recycled content quotas, which mandate specific recycled content targets for all plastic packaging by 2030 including 10% for food contact-sensitive applications.


ITP managed film substrate


selection, printing, lamination, and pouch making; Macchi provided multilayer extrusion technology; and Dow supplied polyethylene (PE) resins that combine processability and functional performance. Separately, Dow has teamed up


with Zermatt and Nature’s Variety on a pet food pouch that includes 10% chemically recycled content.


22 FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | January/February 2026


Downgauged film Also at K, TotalEnergies and SML showed new downgauged films that enable material savings in stand-up pouch and deep-freeze bag applications. The first film, for re-sealable barrier stand-up pouches, combines polyethylene (PE) with a thin ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) layer for a superior oxygen barrier. It enables downgauging of over 30% compared to PE/PET structures without affecting performance. The 60-micron film works with or without lamination. When used alone, it simplifies recycling. The second film, for deep-freeze bags, is an


unlaminated MDO-PE cast film that allows downgauging of 35-50% compared to conventional structures – and avoids an energy- consuming lamination process. “By combining our polymers with SML’s high- performancecast film technology, these new films contribute to innovative packaging solutions,” said Olivier Greiner, vice president for polymers, Europe & Orient, at TotalEnergies. Made with Total’s Lumicene Supertough, both


films are suitable for existing recycling streams and allow cost-efficiency through downgauging. “SML’s cast MDO technology shows its full


strength when combined with resins such as Lumicene Supertough polymers,” said Elias Mayrhofer, product manager at SML.


Non-fluorinated grades Nova Chemicals has developed polyethylene (PE) resins that incorporate a “next-generation” non- fluorinated polymer processing aid (NF-PPA). The resins claim to deliver comparable performance to those with legacy fluoropolymer PPA technology, helping manufacturers meet global regulatory compliance standards with minimal disruptions in production. Working with film manufacturers over the last


three years, ongoing research led to the new NF-PPA formulation which provides enhanced process stability for consistent performance, including frost line control, reduced die-lip


www.filmandsheet.com


IMAGE: TOTAL ENERGIES


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