Innovia Films, a leading materials science pioneer that manufactures BOPP films for Labels, Graphics, Packaging and Tobacco, has announced the inauguration of a new coater for Graphics film applications at the production plant in Wigton, UK. The investment marks a milestone in Innovia’s roadmap to deliver sustainable, PVC-free solutions to the graphics industry.

The base film, biaxially-oriented polypropylene (BOPP), together with the innovative extrusion process, reduces the environmental impact over the entire product lifecycle. Benefits include lower energy consumption in production, the elimination of the usage of hazardous substances like chlorine, and a more sustainable end-of-life product performance through improved recyclability.

“This new tailormade coater will be fully dedicated to produce our highly environmentally friendly PVC-free Rayoart™ film, pushing forward innovation and eco-friendly solutions for the Graphics industry,” says Simon Huber, Managing Director Innovia Europe. “We have added capabilities for specialty coated Graphics films which will make it easy for our customers to transition from PVC to our PVC-free solutions. This will be a step change for the Graphics industry – switching from a material that is detrimental in recycling to a material that actually can be recycled.”

A state-of-the-art coater that helps to innovate for the industry

The 40-meter long coating line offers multiple coating techniques for water-based coatings up to 50 gsm coat weight, with very sophisticated web handling and drying systems. With a web width of up to 1650 mm, the line is equipped to meet the technical demands of modern graphic arts films.

“For our new sustainable PVC-free Rayoart™ range made from recyclable PP, we needed the right equipment to engineer surfaces our customers require. The new state-of-the-art coating line enables us to manufacture the products we have developed on our pilot coating equipment now under industrial conditions at high line-speeds and full web width,” states Darren Jackson, General Manager of Innovia UK. 

Boosting sustainability for the Graphics industry

“It is exciting to see this investment coming to life. PVC-free graphic films is the future and with our new coating capability, we’re able to deliver films with high-quality, high-performance coatings specifically tailored for all graphics printing technologies,” says Bron Hekkema, who heads up the Graphic Films Division within Innovia.

“Retailers and brand-owners often don´t know that they are still using PVC films for their advertisement at the point-of-sale or in the retail space as it has been a common material for a very long time. With Rayoart™ base film, we offer a high-quality polyolefin-based alternative that performs exceptionally well, while supporting a more sustainable material choice. It’s a significant step forward in enabling impactful self-adhesive graphics applications without compromising on environmental responsibility – both for indoor and outdoor applications.”

The investment in the new coating line is linked to Innovia Films' sustainability strategy and adhering to the Global Commitment of the New Plastics Economy led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2020 to drive change through active partnerships and support a more circular economy. By 2025, all customers of CCL (including divisions like Innovia) will be able to choose products and solutions that will not hinder recycling.