LG Chem and Reifenhäuser to collaborate on films for sustainable packaging

South Korea’s global chemical company LG Chem and Germany’s extrusion machine manufacturer Reifenhäuser are partneringto facilitate the development of competitive machine direction oriented (MDO)-PE blown films and flat films for recyclable packaging.

Bernd Reifenhäuser, CEO of the Reifenhäuser Group, says: “The demand for flexible monomaterial packaging is growing rapidly. But MDO-PE films must be stable and economical to produce in order to make the leap from a niche to a broad market.”

“With LG Chem and Reifenhäuser, we have found the perfect match of raw material, extrusion technology and process know-how that will pave the way. For the first time, processors will be able to produce recyclable MDO-PE films at competitive production costs in a stable process that can be optimally further processed.”

In May 2024, the companies introduced the world’s first MDO-PE film sized just 18 µm, produced on an EVO Ultra Stretch blown film line from Reifenhäuser with specially developed PE (Polyethylene) materials.

Dr. Lee Choong Hoon, vice president and head of LG Chem’s NCC/PO Business Unit, adds: “We are very pleased to have found an experienced technology partner in Reifenhäuser to successfully combine sustainability and profitability. Our combined technology has achieved unprecedented records in downgauging MDO-PE film — and that was just the beginning. We will continue this path together to accelerate the recyclability for flexible packaging.”

From thick to think 

LG Chem and Reifenhäuser are also working together to further reduce material consumption by downgauging to reach the level of conventional PET-PE laminates. This would make the production of MDO-PE films more profitable. 

The companies are achieving this by taking advantage of the different densities of PET film and MDO-PE film. They are replacing the standard 12 µm PET film with a 16 — to 17 µm MDO-PE film. With the reduction to 18 µm, the partners are close to achieving this goal.

Experts say that there is further potential: “The downgauging limit has not yet been reached,” says Christoph Lettowsky, technical sales manager at Reifenhäuser Blown Film.

 “Thanks to the patented position of our MDO Ultra Stretch unit directly in the line’s haul-off, the film is stretched from the first heat. This makes the process particularly stable, which is otherwise often the limiting factor for material reduction. We, therefore, see even more scope, which we will use in combination with further recipe developments for even thinner films in the future.”

The 18 µm MDO PE film lacks PFAS additives and is produced in a way that is “stably and reproducibly over many hours” in test runs at the Reifenhäuser technical center. They are then printed and processed into finished pouches. 

Reifenhäuser highlights that the demand for PFAS-free materials is growing in Europe as more evidence emerges that PFAS does not decompose in nature and has negative environmental impacts.