Ineos develops recyclable flexible films

Ineos Olefins and Polymers Europe, based in London, has become the world’s first polymer producer to commission a multilayer, blown film line with Machine Direction Orientation (MDO).

The company says it successfully commissioned a new pilot line that it will use with customers to co-develop recyclable flexible packaging films. The multimillion-dollar investment could help to prevent about 1 million tons of waste from being sent to landfill each year.

The new multilayer, blown film line with MDO has been installed at Ineos’ R&D center in Brussels. It enables customers to carry out full-scale tests without losing production capacity on their own lines. The company says collaboration projects are in the process to develop new films that can be applied directly to customer production lines.

Flexible films provide lightweight, low-emission packaging for transporting goods, increasing the shelf life of food products. Today’s multimaterial packaging films combine different polymers, making the film difficult to recycle. Simpler films with the same performance allow packaging to be easily recycled while meeting the requirements of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.

“Flexible packaging films play a valuable role in society, but we recognize and share people’s concerns about plastic waste,” Ineos Olefins and Polymers Europe CEO Rob Ingram says. “Every day we work alongside stakeholders across the value chain who share our commitment to a circular economy, developing more sustainable solutions to consumers’ needs. Fully recyclable films are a big development and I’m excited about the possibilities created by our investment in this new MDO line.”

Technology supplied by Northborough, Massachusetts-based supplier Hosokawa Alpine heats and stretches polymer films to improve their physical and barrier properties, enabling them to be used in different product applications.