Film & Foil
Ensuring packaging integrity in a world of more sustainable materials
By Vivek Komaragiri, principal technologist, Industrial Physics A
s the drive toward sustainability continues, converters are facing a new range of materials with very diff erent performance behaviours.
Lightweighted fi lms, higher recycled content and bio-based substrates are all playing a growing role in fl exible packaging. While these alternatives help to reduce environmental impact, they also introduce fresh challenges in maintaining the mechanical strength, barrier performance and seal integrity that end-users depend on. For decades, traditional virgin polymer fi lms
have off ered converters relatively predictable performance. However, the shift toward circularity means these long-established benchmarks are changing. Recycled materials can have greater variability from batch to batch. Bio-based resins may behave diff erently under tension or thermal load and lightweighted fi lms can be more susceptible to stretching, wrinkling or puncture. Despite the changing materials, the imperative for quality control and safety remains, making the role of accurate test and measurement critical.
VARIABILITY DEMANDS PRECISION One of the biggest challenges when incorporating sustainable materials into fl exible packaging is variability. Recycled-content fi lms, for example, can display noticeable diff erences in thickness uniformity, stiff ness, seal behaviour and overall mechanical performance from batch to batch. Bio-based or lightweighted structures may also respond diff erently to tension, heating or coating processes, increasing the likelihood of instability during converting.
To bring this variability under control, many converters are placing greater emphasis on frequent, standardised material testing throughout production. Routine measurements of fi lm thickness, coeffi cient of friction, seal strength, tensile and elongation properties, and coating adhesion or coverage provide a clearer understanding of how a sustainable material is likely to behave on the line. By capturing this data early, operators can adjust tension profi les, sealing conditions or coating application parameters
before deviations turn into waste, downtime or quality defects.
This shift toward more comprehensive
verifi cation enables converters to build a stable process around materials that inherently fl uctuate more than traditional virgin polymers. With consistent testing and well-defi ned criteria, production teams can maintain quality, protect packaging integrity and ensure sustainable approaches run effi ciently - even when the materials themselves are less predictable.
NEW COATINGS REQUIRE NEW VERIFICATION
Where converters are adopting new coatings, e.g. solvent-free, water-based and recyclable- friendly coatings, they’re discovering that newer chemistries don’t always behave like traditional formulations. Variations in wetting, cure behaviour and optical properties can infl uence performance further down the line, making continuous verifi cation increasingly important. At the same time, many manufacturers are re- evaluating how they measure coating weight and uniformity. Traditional nuclear-based thickness gauges, long used across fi lms and fl exible packaging, are becoming harder to source, more costly to maintain, and more challenging to dispose of due to regulatory pressures and supply constraints. Their declining suitability for today’s ever-thinner, sub-micron coatings is accelerating this shift.
As a result, converters are exploring non- nuclear measurement technologies that off er real-time insight without the procurement, calibration or disposal issues associated with
radioactive sources. Modern methods, such as optical interference, allow converters to measure real time coating coverage and uniformity more precisely, helping reformulated coatings integrate reliably into existing production. The higher level of precision of these new technologies also helps manufacturers to minimise over application of coating thereby minimising solvent evaporation on solvent-based coatings, contributing signifi cantly to sustainability goals of manufacturing plants.
DATA-DRIVEN INTEGRITY
Ultimately, as sustainability reshapes materials, the question becomes: how do converters guarantee packaging integrity? The answer lies in data. Today’s test and measurement options combine high-speed measurement with analytics and, increasingly, predictive diagnostics. Instead of relying on periodic offl ine checks, converters can monitor the full width of the web and respond proactively. This data-led approach enables converters to:
• maintain consistent seal and barrier performance
• reduce waste during changeovers • increase production throughput • stabilise production despite higher material variability
• verify regulatory compliance and traceability • support sustainability goals without compromising reliability
Sustainable materials are here to stay, and their complexity will only grow. Converters who invest in advanced measurement and inspection capabilities today will be best placed to adopt new fi lms and coatings tomorrow, confi dent that packaging integrity remains uncompromised. As the industry evolves, test and measurement expertise will be a requirement for successful, sustainable converting.
To learn more about strengthening packaging integrity as materials evolve, explore Industrial Physics’ latest guidance on advanced test and measurement solutions:
www.industrialphysics.com
12
Dec 2025/Jan 2026
www.convertermag.com
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