“Finding sustainable alternatives to non-recyclable plastics is one of the most important challenges of our times,” said Nick Copeland, R&D director at BOBST. “It is a particular challenge for flexible packaging such as that used for food packaging, where the high barrier protection against oxygen and water that prevents deterioration is currently provided by multi-layer, multi-material packaging, which cannot be recycled. This next generation of high barrier mono-material structures brings us one step closer to being able to provide completely recyclable solutions to replace non-recyclable packaging.” 

“Brückner is convinced that the future will continue to belong to plastics if they are used and reused sustainably,” said Helmut Huber, COO sales & project management, Brückner Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG. “As part of a circular economy, the undeniable advantages of plastic can be combined absolutely well with the sustainability goals of a modern society. Regarding the discussions about recycling targets for plastic packaging, we see mono-material packaging structures clearly on the rise.” 

BOBST’s ‘Generation 2.0’ Samples: 

• New ultra-high and high barrier full polypropylene laminated pouches, printed in gravure and recyclable, with the option of an AluBond metallized barrier or transparent AlOx (aluminum oxide) barrier layer and solvent free barrier adhesive and/or topcoat.
• The first ever UV flexo combined with digital inkjet printing on full polypropylene laminated bags with AluBond metallization and barrier performances, using a solventless adhesive again for a mono material pouch designed for recycling.
• UV low migration flexo printing on full low-density polyethylene laminated pouches providing barrier with AluBond metallization.
• CI flexo water-based printing on full MDO-PE laminated pouches with AluBond metallization, providing ultra-high barrier using a high barrier solventless adhesive.

Project Partners:

• Dow is a  global supplier of major polyethylene (PE) resins  and represents the first step in the Generation 2.0 samples’ production chain. 
• BrücknerMaschinenbau is a biaxial (BO) film stretching lines company. With Brückner’s R&D competence, the good performance of the BO films regarding barrier values and processability could be achieved.
• Hosokawa Alpine is a supplier in the field of blown film extrusion and expert in MDO (Machine Direction Orientation) technology, a crucial component in manufacturing high-performance single-material compounds made of polyethylene.
• Elba develops and manufactures automatic high-speed bag and pouch making machines. The company converts the finished reels into pouches.
• Sun Chemical is a global company in inks, coatings, pigments and advanced materials, and provides the sustainable oxygen barrier solventless adhesives used in the program. 
• Michelman develops and manufactures specialized sustainable chemistries used in digital printing and foodservice packaging andtheysupplied he water-based barrier topcoat used in part of the project. 
• Indopoly manufactures a wide range of Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) films for the flexible packaging industry and supplied a BOPP film with special skin layer for one of the pouches. 
• UFlex is India's largest flexible packaging and oriented film (BOPET & BOPP) company and supplied the BOPP film used in some of the tests. 

Find more information at www.bobst.com.