Mono-material Flexible Packaging Contributes to the Circular Economy

Apr 12, 2022 | News

The packaging industry consumes up to 40.5% of the 49.1 Mt of virgin plastics in the EU, making it the sector with the highest demand for this raw material. The shift to mono-structural materials provides one way for the flexible packaging segment to promote the reuse of resources and thus contribute to circularity.

Packaging must meet strict criteria

Flexible packaging is a type of packaging that consists of one or more layers – films. In the case of composite packaging, it is a combination of films made of different materials such as polyester, aluminium, polyethylene, etc. Although this type of packaging is high-barrier, it cannot be recycled due to the content of non-recyclable layers. 

Mono-material packaging is made of only one material, for example, polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP). That makes it recyclable. But the challenge in its manufacturing is to maintain the properties of a traditional composite packaging. 

This means that the packaging must have barrier properties to ensure that the product reaches the end customer without affecting its quality and safety. It must also meet criteria such as the permeability of oxygen and water vapour, protection from light and others. At the same time, it must be easy to process on packaging machines.

Green benefits of mono-material flexible packaging

The main benefit for the B2B customer in switching to mono-structures is that they contribute to sustainability and the circular economy with their packaging solution. That is because their final product is packaged in fully recyclable packaging. 

After recycling, the packaging becomes granulate that can be reused for the blown film production, currently mainly for the non-food segment. Other products such as tanks and shafts are also made from it.

These are examples of specific solutions

Our subsidiary Chemosvit Folie regularly develops mono-material flexible packaging that meets sustainability criteria.

One of them is the packaging solution for coating mixes. The original packaging could not be recycled because it was made by lamination of polypropylene, polyethylene and polyester. We developed the packaging based only on polypropylene, making it a recyclable packaging solution.

Another example is PET/PET met/PE composite packaging, which has traditionally been used in various food segments. Our team replaced the individual layers to create a recyclable PP-based laminate. This solution can fully replace the conventional structure while maintaining its physical and mechanical properties.  

Your product can also have packaging that supports the circular economy. Our team will design and manufacture a packaging solution for you that meets the needs of both the product and the environment.

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CHEMOSVIT, a.s.

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Slovak Republic

tel: +421 52 715 1111-2
fax: +421 52 715 2740

e-mail: info@chemosvit.sk

The company is registered in the Commercial Register of the District Court Prešov, Section: Sa, File No. 136/P

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