Oxygen barrier for recycling of food packaging

Image of a row of packaged food in a supermarket
(Image: Shutterstock/TY Lim)

Henkel and Siegwerk have jointly developed a solution for recyclable flexible packaging. An oxygen barrier enables food packaging to be highly recyclable because the packaging is made of a single material.

The new solution from Henkel and Siegwerk provides outstanding performance and also enables mono-material flexible packaging that is easier to recycle – opening up exciting potential to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. The two companies share a pioneering spirit and a long track record of efficiency and food safe packaging. They also share a belief that the transition to a circular economy will require new technologies – and new forms of collaboration, too.

Representatives from both companies met at K-Fair in 2019 and agreed to co-develop an oxygen barrier coating for more recyclable food packaging. Now, they are preparing to launch that solution in North America and Europe and will introduce it at two trade fairs: K-Fair in Düsseldorf and Pack Expo in Chicago.

Working in close partnership, the two companies shared knowledge and explored ideas for how to create a barrier solution for flexible packaging without compromising shelf-life. The result? An industrially validated oxygen barrier coating that enables mono-material flexible packaging for dry food products, setting recyclers free from the headache of mixed materials. Recently, the product has been recognized by APR (Association of Plastics Recyclers) Critical Guidance to be compatible with recycling.

Source: Henkel

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