AR Packaging develops mono-PE film for thermoforming as flexible plastic demand grows
23 Jul 2021 --- Sweden-based AR Packaging is releasing a monomaterial polyethylene (PE) film for thermoforming, which the company says will meet the growing demand in the global multi-billion dollar flexible plastic packaging industry.
Branded Ecoflex, the film is 100 percent recyclable and meets On-Pack Recycling Label (OPRL) guidelines.
Speaking to PackagingInsights, AR’s communications and marketing director, Ingrid Lidbäck, explains the need for monomaterial PE solutions and the challenges in creating them.
“There are already possibilities to recycle PE, and more are in development. Hence food producers and brand owners can replace their polyamide (PA)-based packaging, which is difficult to recycle, with a more circular packaging solution like Ecoflex.”
“The main challenges have been to achieve the toughness needed, with PA being a plastic with high puncture resistance, and also to ensure all other material functionality while keeping the ratio of PE above 95 percent.”
The material has a gas barrier, which is achieved with a thin layer of ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH). Thorough tests of numerous alternative specifications with special PE grades were conducted before arriving at Ecoflex, explains Lidbäck.
AR gets flexible
Achieving an above 95 percent PE rate means Ecoflex meets OPRL’s recycling guidelines and CEFLEX 4ACE standards, adds Lidbäck.
Ecoflex is now being rolled out across the UK and Scandinavian markets and is available to customers throughout western and continental Europe.
Ecoflex is composed of over 95% PE with an EVOH barrier layer.
“Ecoflex can potentially offer some energy savings to food producers since it can sometimes be run at a lower temperature in standard thermoforming lines,” explains Lidbäck.
The company says the world’s monomaterial plastic packaging film consumption is set to grow during the 2020-25 period at an annual average rate of 3.9 percent, rising to an estimated 26.03 million tons annually. This would make the market worth around US$70.9 billion.
Flexible recycling issues
Despite the growth in value for the flexible plastic packaging market and innovation by companies like AR Packaging, a lack of recycling infrastructure is hampering industry efforts to enhance waste management.
Recently, producer compliance scheme Ecosurety and environmental charity Hubbub launched The Flexible Plastic Fund, a UK industry initiative aimed at making flexible plastic recycling economically viable for recyclers and easier for consumers.
The Fund immediately received £1 million (approximately US$1.4 million) in backing from Mars UK, Mondelēz International, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever.
CEFLEX is also currently conducting a study into flexible plastic recycling rates in the UK and EU, preliminary findings for which show recyclable flexible plastics are often wasted and unreturned to the value chain.
AR in the UK
This year, AR expanded into the UK with the acquisition of Firstan Holdings, a pharmaceutical packaging business. The move is designed to empower AR’s position as a leading provider of folding cartons, flexibles and fiber-based containers in the post-Brexit UK.
The news came amid a strategic drive from AR to grow its business within specific segments and geographies.
By Louis Gore-Langton
