Mono oriented PE films with enhanced properties

Sustainability is the “it” word of 2021—everyone, everywhere is talking about it. More products are being designed to be easily recycled and reused as raw materials. The vast majority of flexible packaging, however, is missing out on the trend as most plastic cannot be recycled. These unrecyclable packages are made from a blend of different polymers—usually an outer layer made of biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate (BOPET) and an inner layer made of low-density polyethylene (LDPE)—which cannot be repurposes together.

Polysack, a green-tech manufacturer of plastic film products for flexible packaging and high-shrink labels, partners with Flessofab, an Italian packaging manufacturer, to launch a series of eco-friendly, stand-up pouch packaging.  Polysack produced Pack’N’Cycle, a family of films made of Mono Oriented PE (MOPE) and has enhanced properties compared to traditional PE films. Pack’N’Cycle successfully replaces traditional BOPET or BOPP, thus producing a package made of mono-material that can be fully recycled. By combining suitable raw materials and a unique production process, Polysack has achieved a sustainable solution that will change the flexible packaging market.

During the production process, the films are stretched in one direction via MDO (Machine Direction Orientation) using Polysack’s proprietary methodology and processes, thus obtaining improvements in several properties: mechanical, optical, gas transmission (barrier) and thermal resistance, all while maintaining a particularly low film thickness of less than 25 microns. Already commercialised for dried fruits, bread crumbs, coffee, and more, the film is suitable for printing in every existing technology and a variety of applications.  

“With the Pack’N’Cycle MOPE family of films, we can replace BOPET in 80 percent of its applications,” says Gianfranco Lambiase, R&D Director of Flessofab. “We’re thrilled to participate in such a novel project that promotes a circular economy in the flexible packaging space.”

“The novel MOPE films we design, innovate, and produce have been used in more than 130 projects,” says Yanir Ahanironson, CEO of Polysack. “Pack’N’Cycle’s MOPE enables converters to produce a mono-material package without sacrificing efficiency or quality. It is a true BOPET replacement. Sustainability is a top priority for leading brand owners who have set ambitious packaging recycling targets by 2025, and we’re determined to assist them in accomplishing their goals.”

Polysack is engaged in the manufacture of flexible packaging film products for a variety of applications, including high-shrink labels, candy wrappers, and more. The company provides its line of eco-friendly films to converters and other third parties who apply them within multiple industries such as beverages, food, confectionery, agriculture and others. Polysack’s customers range from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies. Meanwhile, Flessofab is a supplier of innovative flexible packaging solutions using either Flexo or Rotogravure printing technology. Flessofab offers high tech solutions to pack food and no-food products, that translate into optimized and eco-efficient packaging applications in a wide range of markets. The company cooperates with both customers and raw materials suppliers to develop high-quality customized products that combine sustainability and performance.