Ineos Olefins & Polymers Europe has announced a multi-million Euro investment in state-of-the-art technology that will enable it to work with converters, brands and retailers to develop simpler, more recyclable flexible packaging film.
The investment can prevent around one million tonnes of waste from being sent to landfill each year. Reducing the number of polymers used to produce packaging film will make packaging that is designed to be recycled.
Using new multilayer, blown line technology with Machine Direction Orientation (MDO), Ienos and partners will work together to develop, design and produce polyethylene and polypropylene-based flexible packaging film using fewer polymers, increasing the recyclability of the product.
Ienos boasts to be the only raw material supplier to have invested in an inline MDO-multilayer line from Hosokawa Alpine, which heats and stretches polymer films to improve their physical and barrier properties, enabling them to be used in different product applications.
Rob Ingram, Chief Executive, Ineos O&P Europe North said, “This investment is further evidence of our commitment to taking action across the value chain to create a more sustainable future. Flexible packaging films keep our food fresh and safe to eat, but we recognise and share people’s concerns about plastic waste.”
“I’m excited about the prospect of working closely with our partners to use this world-leading technology to develop new capabilities and a more recyclable solution for this important product,” added Ingram.
The new line will be installed in Ineos’ R&D labs in Brussels, Belgium, in 2023, where the company will develop new, mono-material flexible film packaging products. Ineos will leverage this capability and its expertise in resin design to work alongside partners on new generations of resins specially engineered for their flexible packaging products.