POUCHES | MATERIALS


could be moved to mono-PET.” He pointed to the example of the all-PET


structure being developed by Searious Business as an example. “Mono-PET structures represent the optimum in


terms of material usage and end of life outcomes,” he said. “A significant proportion of the flexible packag-


ing market could be 100% PET, whether as a mono-layer or PET/PET laminate.”


Chemical solution The shift towards mono-material packaging – which is easier to recycle – could be sidestepped if techniques such as chemical recycling become more prevalent. “Design is important, but are mono-materials the


It has been combined with oriented PE film in


several projects, to package products such as dishwasher tablets. In addition, Dow has collabo- rated with several partners to produce a high-barrier, VFFS Doypack with zipper.


PET project Some suppliers are adamant that mono-material, polyolefin-based structures will find it hard to replace PET-based laminates. Steven Davies, chairman of BOPET Films


Europe in the UK, told delegates that PET-based laminates account for around 25% of the flexible packaging market. He said there were several flexpack ‘myths’


associated with the replacement of PET with polyolefin-based films. For instance, he said that PET is actually difficult to design out of flexible packaging. “PET is the backbone of over a million tonnes of


flexible packaging laminates,” he said. “Moving to mono polyolefin structures will have a significant financial and environmental cost, with more material usage and less efficient packing processes.” He said some of the benefits of PET packaging – such as high mechanical strength and tempera- ture stability, odour barrier – are difficult to repli- cate using polyolefins.


He said another ‘myth’ was the ‘impossibility’ of making PET mono-material flexpack structures. “Heat sealable PET films have been widely used in the market for over four decades and there are commercial examples of mono-PET structures,” he said. “Although there are some applications where the combination of PET and polyolefins is required, a significant part of the flexible packaging market


www.filmandsheet.com


solution,” said Carlos Ludlow-Palafox, CEO of recycling specialist Enval in the UK. “If something is recyclable, this does not mean it


will be recycled.” He said that the aluminium foil layer of a pouch is vital for barrier properties – including a shield against UV radiation, which affects shelf life. In future, this layer would be easily identifiable by automatic segregation systems. While the push for mono-materials is not


“wrong”, he said mechanical recycling could be complemented by emerging technologies such as chemical recycling – which can handle multi-materi- al packaging. The company has a commercial plant that


converts plastic aluminium laminates – such as pouches – into pyrolysis oil, which can then be used to make new virgin resin. “This new plastic would comply with food contact legislation,” he said. n AMI’s next Plastic Pouches conference takes place in Barcelona, Spain on 10-12 May 2022. For more details, contact Emily Timney on +44 117 314 8111 (emily.timney@ami.international).


CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: � www.ami.international � www.treetop.com � www.seariousbusiness.com � www.mondigroup.com � www.plasticsrecyclers.eu � www.recyclass.eu � www.hp.com � www.polysack.com � www.watttron.de � www.dow.com � www.bopetfilmseurope.com � www.enval.com


July/August 2021 | FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION 33


Left: Enval says it can recycle used multi- layer pouches using chemical recycling


IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK


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