MATERIALS | PLASTIC POUCHES


Using recyclates Nelly Freitag, scientific project manager at Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging (IVV), told delegates of a recent pan-European research project about incorporat- ing recyclate into packaging. The Circular Foodpack project, which has been running since 2021 and ends later this year, involves 15 partners and has a budget of more than €5 million. It aims to improve the sorting, separation and recycling of composite and multi-layer materials. Expected results include: recovering more than


Above: Fraunhofer IVV is leading the Circular Foodpack project, which will produce new packaging with 50% recyclate


packaging manager at Henkel – and Chantal Semann, application technology manager for flexible packaging at Borealis.


Please stand up Brand owners will need to look carefully at packag- ing design in light of PPWR, the forthcoming law in the European Union. Daniele Borin, senior product manager for flexible packaging in the EU at Taghleef Industries, said that stand-up pouches are one example of a product that will need to be redesigned.


“PPWR sets targets that impacts pouches in the


areas of reduction and recyclability,” he said. For instance, the law sets a 5% reduction in


packaging waste by 2030, rising to 10% by 2035 and 15% by 2040. There are also tough targets for recyclability of packaging, and the inclusion of recyclate.


He said that Taghleef’s heat-resistant film can help to meet design criteria through higher heat stability and reduced thermal shrinkage. In addi- tion, its Extendo PP-based barrier structures deliver protection against oxygen and water vapour. In one example, a PET/PE structure with an LDPE zipper was replaced with an Extendo XTHR grade, TSU and a PP zipper – for a mono-material (PP) solution with a high barrier. Similarly, with Sipospack, it replaced a PET/Alu/ PE structure – plus PP zipper – with a mono-PP solution that boasted a high barrier against oxygen, moisture and mineral oil – as well as odour protection. The pouch is used for applications such as dry broth, chocolate and vitamins. “Mono-material design is crucial to meet


recycling – both mechanical and chemical – and recycled content targets of PPWR,” said Borin. “Functionality needs to be maintained to guarantee product protection and performance.”


28 FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | July/August 2024


90% of newly designed and tracer-marked food- packaging items; recycling more than 90% of PE from the input material; and cutting the amount of virgin PE used by half. Tracers can be introduced into the printing ink – which can later be removed from the polymer substrate during recycling. Challenges in this part of the project include scaling up from lab- to pilot-scale, the ‘curling’ of flakes during process, and reabsorption of colour pigments on PE. In a mono-material design, more than 90% of the substrate is made from PE – with the rest accounted for by a thin inorganic barrier layer and inks. The team has tested several concepts including a PVD inorganic coating, co-extrusion with barrier polymers and coating with barrier lacquers. It has made a laminate using more than 50%


recyclate and produced it on industrial scale lines. Mechanical performance is “satisfying”, said Freitag. Other successful results include: hitting the


target for both water and oxygen transmission rates (WVTR and OTR). n The next edition of Innovations in Pouches is held on 2-3 April 2025 in Vienna, Austria. For more details, contact Carole Charrade on +44 (0) 117 314 8111 (carole.charrade@amiplastics.com).


CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: � www.proampac.com � www.plasticsrecyclers.eu � www.berryglobal.com � www.innoviafilms.com � www.sabic.com � www.seariousbusiness.com � www.mcgc.com � www.labthinkinternational.com � www.henkel.com � www.borealisgroup.com � www.korozo.com.tr � www.ti-films.com � www.ivv.fraunhofer.de


www.filmandsheet.com


IMAGE: FRAUNHOFER IVV


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