Game-changing unlaminated pouch for food-contact application

TotalEnergies and COLINES have completed a proof of concept for an Unlaminated Recyclable Stand-Up Pouch suitable for food-contact applications. This development represents a game changer in the packaging industry, as the current market reference is made up of a multi-material film that cannot be recycled. The new pouch is a full PE recyclable Unlaminated Stand-Up Pouch, which reduces packaging thickness and is fully mechanically recyclable.

The Machine Direction Orientation (MDO) film, which forms the basis of the new pouch, was produced on COLINES' cast line Polycast and MDO line, enabling an asymmetrical structure. This means a low-density sealing layer is on one side, while a high-density stiff layer is on the other. The MDO-PE film formulation is composed of TotalEnergies Supertough® and unique Lumicene® high-density PE, which offers a wide range of thickness solutions to suit the customer's needs.

The game changer film was then printed by Cirepa, a flexible packaging printing company, and transformed into a Stand-Up Pouch by Dry-Top, a packaging company. This project, along with other Stand-Up Pouch projects that TotalEnergies is working on, will be presented in more detail during the upcoming AMI Plastic Pouch seminar in Barcelona from the 20th of March.

TotalEnergies Vice President, Polymers Europe & Orient, Olivier Greiner, said, "This collaboration is in line with recent developments to provide packaging solutions that are fully mechanically recyclable, with the end goal of bringing more qualitative feedstock to the market. This could be used as feedstock for the recycling industry and eventually end up as RE:use polymers, part of the RE:clic range, supporting our ambition of producing 30% circular polymers by 2030."

Nicola Lombardini, R&D Manager of Colines, added, "We are proud to be part of this very important project, made possible also by the proprietary COLINES technology in the field of MDO, as well as by innovative and patented solutions for the production of MDO-PE films with cast technology. Our portfolio includes various solutions for the production of 'green' films, with a high recycled content or suitable for complete recycling, to satisfy practically all market requests."

In conclusion, the development of this new Unlaminated Recyclable Stand-Up Pouch is a significant milestone for the packaging industry, as it offers a sustainable alternative to current packaging solutions that are not recyclable. With the focus on circular polymers, this innovation represents a significant step towards achieving more environmentally friendly and sustainable packaging solutions.