By Ben Daniel: Bobst and its partners have announced a milestone in their pioneering work to replace non-recyclable high barrier multi-material packaging structures with mono-material alternatives designed for recycling.
The launch of a new generation of Bobst “hero samples” represents a significant achievement in the mission to deliver state-of-the-art solutions utilising a new generation of polymers.
After several different samples of mono-material standup pouches (MDO PE, BOPE, BOPP and CPP) were launched at K 2019, the partners have continued their considerable investment and intense research to progress the samples even further, to ensure all industry requirements are met.
“Finding sustainable alternatives to non-recyclable plastics is one of the most important challenges of our times,” said Nick Copeland, R&D Director at Bobst. “It is a particular challenge for flexible packaging such as that used for food, where the high barrier protection against oxygen and water that prevents deterioration is currently provided by multi-layer, multi-material packaging, which cannot be recycled. This next generation of highbarrier mono-material structures brings us one step closer to being able to provide completely recyclable solutions to replace non-recyclable packaging.”
“Brückner is convinced that the future will continue to belong to plastics if they are used and reused sustainably,” said Helmut Huber, COO Sales & Project Management, Brückner Maschinenbau.
“As part of a circular economy, the undeniable advantages of plastic can be combined absolutely well with the sustainability goals of a modern society.
“Regarding the discussions about recycling targets for plastic packaging, we see mono-material packaging structures clearly on the rise.”