MATERIALS | STRETCH & SHRINK FILM


gels in unstabilised resin. Film manufacturers should talk with recyclers, while recyclers should understand the benefit of having a higher quality product, he added. In a trial, the stabiliser was shown to maintain MFI – which was critical to better processing of PCR and PIR, he said.


Load simulation Victor Gallego, packaging and transport simulation coordinator at ITENE in Spain, presented details of a case study for improved load stability in the beverage industry.


IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK


Above: ITENE has studied the stability of plastic bottles on pallets


produced is more expensive than virgin LDPE/ LLDPE,” he told delegates. For plastic film extruders and users, it is often


cheaper to use virgin polymer or cheaper imported recyclate, he said – which does not support the idea of film recycling in the EU. Potential ways around this include the forthcom- ing PPWR – with minimum mandatory recycled content quotas – but this does not overcome the use of imported PCR. One idea is a ‘buy European’ target – which would not ban on imports of PCR but might propose a ‘Recycled in Europe’ label. He said purchasers of PE stretch and shrink film should look into recycled material claims. “Ask suppliers for proof of genuine PCR content via ‘Chain of Custody’ documentation – or accredi- tation from a reputable compliance organisation like Recyclass,” he said. “Certificates alone often don’t prove a lot.”


Practical recycling Shawn Cook, technical manager for polymer additives at Dover Chemical said that while film recycling is to be encouraged, there are some downsides: films are generally of poor quality, due to increased gels – leading to thicker films (or the use of more virgin resin). In addition, there is a faster DLBU – leading to a build-up of additives. Equipment also goes through more strain – leading to increased wear and lower throughput. Stabilisers like phosphites can hydrolyse into acidic substanc- es that cause dies to wear. Cook presented details of DoverCycle, based on


LGP-12 liquid phosphite. This is designed to reduced gels, preserve melt flow index (MFI) and reduce energy input. “It’s a liquid alternative to other phosphites,


that’s not derived from alkylphenols,” he said. LGP-12 should be added to a polymer system as soon as possible. The key, he said, is to prevent


32 FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | June 2025 He said a typical pallet has four layers of plastic


bottles in 24 wrappings of 30-micron film. The project looked at how a five-layer pallet might be wrapped. The first objective was to evaluate rigidity and load stability – and find an optimised solution. The second was to reduce the amount of film used. Both were tested according to the EUMOS 40509 standard. The five-layer pallet was wrapped in a variety of ways – such as the film thickness, tension applied, distribution of wrapping layers (top, middle or bottom) and total number of wraps. These were then tested for stability with 0.4G and 0.5G transversal orientation. Here, the most stable package used most wraps in the middle section – for a film weight of nearly 460g. Overall, 23- and 30-micron film passed both 0.4G and 0.5G transversal acceleration tests. The 23-micron film has lower weight than the 30-mi- cron, but took longer in operation. “The EUMOS standard makes it possible to quantify performance and compare wrapping programmes,” he said.


European rules Martin Engelmann, director general of the German Association for Plastics Packaging (IK), explained how new EU regulations affected pallet wrapping film. The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) sets rules on all packaging – such as the need to be recyclable by 2030 and having a minimum content of recyclate. However, many classifications of ‘packaging’ are open to interpretation, he said – as are designa- tions of ‘re-use quotas’ and when packaging turns into packaging waste. He said that many provisions within PPWR are still to be substantiated by secondary legislation. “Consistent enforcement is complicated by the many ambiguities and obvious errors,as – well as the leeway for national interpretation,” he said.


� www.filmandsheet.com


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  |  Page 45  |  Page 46