To protect dry foods from the environment, they are often packaged in multiple layers. An outer layer, a barrier layer, and an inner layer are standard for many types of packaging. Depending on the specific requirements for barrier properties and shelf life of the product, two to five layers may be used, resulting in an enormous amount of waste. Together with Panverta CPP, Henkel Adhesive Technologies has developed films with an improved oxygen barrier layer that make it possible to reduce the number of packaging layers – a major step forward in terms of sustainability. From October 23 to 25, packaging manufacturers and brand owners can see the results of this collaboration for themselves at Henkel's booth 1C17 at Tokyo Pack 2024.

Flour, rice or pasta can quickly spoil or lose flavor when exposed to air, light or moisture. Packaging for dry foods must therefore be airtight, light-proof and moisture-proof. High-quality packaging solutions that meet all these requirements usually consist of several layers of different materials. These composite materials are often difficult to recycle because they cannot be easily separated. Henkel’s cooperation with PT. Panverta Cakrakencana, one of the leading film manufacturers in Indonesia, has successfully provided a solution to improve the oxygen barrier performance of metallized cast polypropylene (CPP) to less than 0.5 cc/m².day and CPP with aluminum oxide coating (AIOx) films to less than 8 cc/m².day. The jointly developed innovations ensure that these vital oxygen barrier properties for dry food packaging can be achieved when switching from multi-material designs to mono-material polypropylene (PP).

“Henkel has supported us throughout the entire process, from initial trials to ongoing production,” says Marcus Hengky, Sales Manager at Panverta. “Thanks to the collaboration with Henkel, we have been able to increase the added value of our product portfolio and now also appeal to brand owners who want to replace traditional multi-layer packaging with thinner and more efficient solutions made from a single material. In this way, we are making a valuable contribution to the circular economy in terms of a sustainable packaging industry.”

New market opportunities with Loctite Liofol BC Range

Henkel's contribution to the collaboration is the recyclable Loctite Liofol oxygen barrier coating. The Liofol product range offers significant benefits to film and packaging manufacturers, with both offline and inline coating options. Due to its excellent oxygen barrier properties, the coating enables a new packaging design using only one material. This reduces the amount of material used in food packaging without compromising quality and integrity. It is also certified recyclable by cyclos-HTP and recognized by the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) as meeting the Critical Guidance Protocol for PE films and flexible packaging. As mono-material packaging does not need to be separated into different components, the recycling quality is increased while the effort and cost of recycling is reduced. The oxygen barrier layer can be applied to OPP (oriented polypropylene) and PE (polyethylene) films at high machine speeds in excess of 150 to 200 meters per minute and a weight of less than 1 g/m² in both flexo and gravure printing processes, and is also characterized by excellent transparency.

At Tokyo Pack 2024, the collaboration will be showcased at Henkel's stand 1C17 in the form of standing pouches and laminated reels, where packaging converters and brand owners can see, explore and evaluate the oxygen barrier performance.