A de-inkable, recyclable* mono-material PE-pouch with barrier properties produced through a unique value chain collaboration between Siegwerk, ExxonMobil, Henkel, Kraus Folie, and Windmöller & Hölscher has won the German Packaging Award in the Sustainability category for “Recyclability/design for Recycling”.
A combination of innovative solutions allows for pouches that provide a high oxygen barrier, outstanding package integrity and excellent shelf-appeal, and produces an almost colorless recyclate after the removal of printing ink and the oxygen-barrier coating layer.
The German Packaging Award is open to international participants and is adjudicated by an independent panel of experts. Recipients are awarded based on the best innovations and solutions in ten separate categories.
The pouch represents a breakthrough industry innovation. Siegwerk´s deinking and delamination primer technology was applied on a Windmöller & Hölscher Miraflex II, a flexo printing press with a downstream unit. Excellent oxygen barrier properties were achieved using single component barrier coatings from Siegwerk (“Cirkit OxyBar BC 1582”) and from Henkel (“Loctite Liofol BC 1582 RE”).
The pouch is comprised of ExxonMobil’s latest generation of performance polyethylene (such as ExceedTM S and ExceedTM XP), in combination with ExactTM-materials in the sealant layer. The MDO-PE films were developed by ExxonMobil and Kraus Folie, employing ExxonMobil HDPE and EnableTM performance polyethylene, and produced on their Varex II extrusion line with an inline MDO unit.
The award ceremony will take place on 13 September 2023 in Berlin. *The terms ”recyclable” and “recyclability” as used throughout this press release are intended to refer to the potential for recyclability of full PE solutions designed and manufactured in accordance with recycling guidelines such as PRE RecyClass. Ultimate recyclability of full PE packaging will depend on a number of factors outside of the partners´ (W&H / ExxonMobil / Henkel / Siegwerk / Kraus) control including, but not limited to, availability of programs and facilities that collect and recycle plastic packaging within a given community. Any and all claims about the recyclability of full PE-packaging are the sole responsibility of the packaging manufacturer.
