From Multi to Mono
How Siegwerk's coatings are changing the game in pet food packaging!
Due to their high barrier requirements, e.g. against oil and grease, complex multi-material structures are widely used for the packaging of dry pet food. However, these pose a major problem for recycling and thus for the latest EU packaging legislation.
The approach: Mono-plastic packaging
Compared to multi-material solutions, mono-PE structures consist of only one type of plastic, making them much easier to recycle. The key to a successful switch from multi- to mono-material packaging is to achieve the same packaging and process performance.
The enabler: Functional coatings
Applying the right functional coatings inline with regular printing inks enables the design of fully recyclable mono-material solutions meeting the same barrier and process requirements like their non-recyclable complex multi-material counterparts.
Our solution: High-barrier, fully recyclable mono-PE pouch
As specialist in printing inks and coatings, we at Siegwerk have developed solutions that enable a fully recyclable and functional mono-PE packaging structure suitable e.g. for dry pet food.
This involves the use of three key products:
- CIRKIT GreaseBar: This solvent-based, inline printable coating not only adds a grease barrier to protect the dry food from fat migration, but it also serves as white ink eliminating the need for additional white ink layers to achieve the desired white opacity.
- CIRKIT HeatGuard: This solvent-based, inline printable coating improves the heat resistance of film surfaces and thus prevents PE from melting in the sealing process. This helps to maintain manufacturing efficiency and high printing speeds.
- Full-PU ink system: PU inks are not only seen as ink systems with the highest compatibility with mechanical recycling but also offer a process performance comparable to NC/PU flexo inks in terms of printing speed and quality.
These three components ensure that our mono-PE structure offers the same packaging and process performance as not sustainable multi-materials but with the decisive advantage of being fully recyclable.
This once again underlines the enabling power of inks and coatings in the transition towards circular packaging that is not only recyclable but also high-performing and commercially competitive.
Do you have any questions, or would you like to know what this pouch design looks like in real life? Then get in touch and order your personal sample using the contact form below.