Packaging Consortium Develops Film Packaging Material Technology

Related Vendors

Toray Industries, Inc.

Hans Turck GmbH & Co. KG

Glatt Ingenieurtechnik GmbH

Italvacuum, Srl

The consortium has jointly developed a surface printing mono-material film packaging material technology. The technology complies with the European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation which focuses on building a low-carbon and circular global economy.

Tokyo/Japan – Toray Industries, Dow, Comexi Group Industries, S.A.U., Sakata Inx Corporation and SGK Japan (Schawk Japan K.K.) have jointly developed a surface printing mono-material film packaging material technology.

This breakthrough complies with the European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, which aims to help realize a low-carbon, circular global economy. The material will serve in wide-ranging food and daily necessities applications.

Flexible film substrates are used in a myriad of different applications including food packaging and detergent refill pouches because they are light, transparent, and easy to process. With the global population rising, the worldwide film packaging demand should increase 4 % to 5 % annually from the 2023 level of 33 million metric tons (see source 1). The issue with many existing film packaging materials is that they are hard to recycle as they are made by laminating films made from different materials to achieve the functional and shape requirements of the application.

In view of this shortcoming, the European Union is mandating that all packaging materials are designed for recyclability by 2030. In April 2024 (see source 2), the European parliament adopted the new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation with the aim to reduce packaging waste and make it more sustainable. This legislation has a broad scope and includes the need to classify plastic packaging according to recyclability criteria, broadly aligned with proposals from industry associations such as Recyclass. Full details will now be determined in associated CEN standards but in general, packaging will need to be made as much as possible, with a single polymeric material, minimizing the presence of other polymers and additives that could negatively impact recycling.

Toray, Dow, Comexi, Sakata Inx, and SGK Japan responded to this progress by jointly developing a surface-printed mono-material film packaging material technology that can reduce plastic consumption and significantly lower CO2 emissions from printing processes while satisfying the recommendations above. As well as designing for recyclability and cutting CO2 emissions, this technology should also help cut costs and shorten delivery times owing to abbreviated manufacturing processes.

For this collaboration, Toray used its new Resolucia flexographic plate for film packaging printing. The plate-making process replaces organic solvents with water during development to ensure high print quality. Dow contributed by designing and producing a polyethylene film suitable for surface printing, which includes a thin gas barrier layer and high-performance materials such as Innate and Affinity resins to achieve the abuse resistance and seal performance required for conversion. Sakata Inx supplied its electron beam flexo inks and varnishes, which were used to produce printed materials on a Comexi electron beam flexo press, renowned for being a high productive and easy to use. The packaging design involves printing on the surface only, reducing the number of film layers required. SGK Japan’s design approach minimizes ink usage while maintaining the aesthetic quality.

The companies are joining forces to leverage advanced printing technology and standardize film packaging for food and daily necessities. This will ultimately reduce the environmental footprint of the film packaging industry and foster a sustainable economy.

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