Plastrela, a leading converter based in Brazil, wanted to create a snack size pet food standup pouch (SUP) for its customer, brand owner Adimax, that can be easier to recycle than traditional SUP structures. The challenge was to replace a conventional multi-layer structure consisting of a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate and a polyethylene (PE) sealant with a new mono-material** PE//PE solution that could be easier to recycle.

“The biggest challenge in changing the SUP packaging from a transparent PET structure laminated with PE film into a PE//PE structure was the formatting and machinability of the film in the cutting-welding equipment,” said Chih Ming, Technical Manager, Plastrela. “Based on our experience, the production of SUP packaging requires a high sealing temperature in the sealing bar and as a result polyester film is usually used in the packaging structure.”

While striving for a solution that can improve recycling potential, the quality and freshness of the pet food snacks needed to be maintained. Plus, excellent printability of the SUP for high visibility on the shelves of retail outlets for brand exposure was also very important.

Solution:

Exceed™, Enable™ and Exact™ can deliver a mono-material PE//PE SUP while maintaining packaging performance.

Plastrela collaborated with ExxonMobil’s PE business, which is acknowledged as a leader in driving packaging advances by working with the value chain to develop solutions that can offer sustainability benefits.

The solution’s substrate and sealant films are processed using 5-layer Windmöller & Höschler blown extrusion equipment, before the substrate web is printed. The substrate web is laminated to the sealant web and then formatted into an SUP.

Results:

A pet food SUP that can be easier to recycle* than traditional PET//PE structures

Replacing the conventional PET substrate and PE sealant structure with an innovative PE//PE solution can improve the potential recyclability of the SUP, while performance criteria like package integrity and printability for brand promotion opportunities are maintained.

“When we produced the SUP with existing cutting-welding equipment, we were amazed and very satisfied with the result of using a PE//PE film,” said Ming. “While there are many advantages obtained with this project, the main advantage is making the SUP so that it can be easier to recycle versus multi-layer constructions due to it’s a mono-material** structure.”

The films are all produced to the right dimensions at Plastrela, so there was no reliance on third-party films that may not be the right size. As a result, production time and costs can also potentially be reduced.

“This innovative PE//PE solution achieves our performance objectives for the SUP while helping to create new possibilities for material reuse and recycling with greater efficiency, which aligns with our sustainability and environmental responsibility commitments,” said Leonardo Dalmagro, R&D Manager, Adimax.

* Recyclable in communities with programs and facilities in place to collect and recycle plastic film

** Film contains >97wt% PE