Siegwerk and Borouge Partner to Produce Completely Recyclable Mono-Material Solutions to Enhance the Circular Economy.

Siegwerk has announced a collaboration with Borouge, a global petrochemicals firm that produces new and unique polyolefins solutions, to co-develop 100% recyclable mono-material solutions to advance package design for a circular economy. The collaboration's purpose is to create a pipeline of solutions that will allow converters throughout the globe to make advanced mono-material packaging, therefore meeting the market's rising need for sustainable packaging.

The majority of flexible packaging still consists of mixed materials and because of this multi-material structure, it is challenging to recycle it in the conventional recycling streams,” explains Dr. Stephane Bertaux, Head of Brand Owner Collaboration and Circular Economy for Southeast Asia at Siegwerk Thailand. “Here, the switch to mono-material packaging is an essential lever to ease the recycling of packaging and thus enhance its circularity.”

However, transitioning to mono-material structures has various issues, including guaranteeing dependable sealability, particular mechanical qualities or thermal stability, and achieving certain degrees of barrier performance depending on the end-use application. “Enabling mono-material structures using Borouge’s performance polyethylene products with the combination of innovative ink and coating technologies can achieve the desired packaging outcomes. With this new way of industry collaboration, we contribute to addressing global challenges to increase sustainability and circularity. Upcycling is becoming possible through mechanical recycling, resulting in high quality recyclates to further boost circularity and lower carbon footprint versus currently used multi-material packaging, which are mostly incinerated,” adds Anton Wolfsberger, Vice President, Global Marketing, Packaging and Circular Economy, Borouge Pte Ltd.

One of the first co-development projects between the two partners will be a barrier stand-up pouch made with Borouge's Borealis Borstar technology-based enhanced HDPE FB5600 and Siegwerk's oxygen barrier coating CIRKIT OxyBar BC1582, as well as its primer solution CIRKIT Clearprime for smooth laminate deinking. “By incorporating our special deinking and delamination primer into this innovative mono-material structure with superior performance and mechanical properties, all used inks and coatings can be removed of the printed film during the recycling process resulting in high-quality recycled polyethylene that is suitable for re-use in new packaging materials,” said Bertaux.

Siegwerk and Borouge are already collaborating with select converters worldwide to provide solutions for producing high barrier mono-material packaging combining oxygen (OTR < 1 cc/m2.day) and moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR < 1 cc/m2.day).

Both partners are dedicated to promoting sustainable and future-oriented packaging by developing mono-material structures that can replace today's difficult-to-recycle multi-material package structures. While Borouge already provides a wide range of virgin polyolefins, such as polyethylene and polypropylene, that have been specifically developed for recyclability, Siegwerk offers a variety of innovative ink and coating solutions that can improve the recyclability of plastic packaging without sacrificing performance or productivity. By combining forces, the two organizations emphasize the need of cooperation across the packaging supply chain in developing appropriate solutions that may genuinely make a difference in expediting the transition to a Circular Economy.

Source: SIEGWERK