PLASTIC POUCHES | MATERIALS
Standing order: recent news in plastic pouches
Plastic pouches are a unique, lightweight product that can help to reduce environmental footprint – but must be adapted in order to become more recyclable in future
Stand-up pouches are a unique product that could not exist without plastics – and despite their growing popularity, they are now under pressure to comply with legislation that demands greater sustainability. Mazad Khan Jeaudeen, senior technical service engineer at TotalEnergies, told delegates at the Plastic Pouches conference in Barcelona – organised by AMI – how correct design principles can help to create packaging with a lower environ- mental impact.
“Eco-design considers environmental aspects at all stages of the product development process, striving for products which make the lowest possible environmental impact throughout the product life cycle,” he said. This can encompass elements such as recyclabil- ity – such as by using single materials – and downgauging, where tougher materials can ensure reduced consumption. These days, he said, pouches need to combine both these aspects. He said that new materials such as the compa-
ny’s Lumicene metallocene resins can help to achieve this. Its Lumicene and Lumicene Super- tough ranges can be used in MDO applications, in asymmetrical structures and can provide a balance of stiffness and toughness. One example was seen in a monomaterial PE barrier pouch – produced by blown film extrusion and MDO stretching. An earlier design used using BOPP and PET for stiffness. “It’s gone from unrecyclable to recyclable high barrier packaging,” he said. “Barrier properties are replaced by EVOH at such a low level that it doesn’t
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contaminate the recycling stream.”
Similarly, he presented a PE MDO pouch made by cast film extrusion. Here, the unlaminated 65-micron film was downgauged thanks to an asymmetrical structure. Good
mechanics and processability were possible
thanks to Lumicene Supertough, he said. “Eco-design remains the driver to convert
complex multi-materials pouches to mono-material solutions – rendering them recyclable – and downgauging pouches while keeping the mechan- ics,” he said.
Welding benefits Another benefit is that mono-materials can be combined with ultrasonic welding to produce high-quality, recyclable packaging with a hermetic seal, according to Herrmann Ultraschall. The company says that typical heat-sealing leads to up to 200 leaking packages per 100,000 – wasting more than 4 tonnes of packaged material. Ultrasonic welding, however, typical has one failed package per 100,000 – reducing food waste to 21 kg. A second advantage is that it can also save
energy. Heat sealing requires tools to be at a permanently high temperature. In constrast,
July/August 2023 | FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION 39
Main image: TotalEnergies says eco-de- sign principles lead to packaging with a lower environmental impact
IMAGE: TOTALENERGIES
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