Covestro Develops a Proof-of-concept Heat-resistant Coating for Use on Mono-PE Stand-up Pouches Made with SABIC BOPE Polymer
#Covestro #BOPEPolymer #SABIC“In SABIC, we found an expert partner. This close collaboration will enable us to accelerate the engineering and testing process of our new heat-resistant coating for BOPE with clear benefits for the product quality, the customer, and the planet.” - Davide Reverdito Bove, Sector Marketing Manager, Covestro
October 2022: Covestro has developed a proof-of-concept heat-resistant coating for use on mono-PE stand-up pouches made with SABIC BOPE polymer. The coating facilitates the industrial-scale production of BOPE-based mono-material stand-up pouches on horizontal form-fill-seal (HFFS) lines. This innovation paves the way for simple single-stream recyclability of flexible plastic pouches, marking an important step on the way to achieving a circular economy for packaging. Covestro and SABIC will continue their collaboration to further improve and eventually commercialize this product and bring its benefits to brand owners and consumers.
Traditional flexible plastic packaging uses multi-material laminates, which are difficult to recycle as it is expensive and time-consuming to separate the different polymer layers. Driven by concern around packaging waste from consumers, governments, and industry, packaged goods brands are looking for more circular solutions. One increasingly popular option is mono-material packaging, made with materials such as BOPE.
“We take our responsibility to create lower-impact packaging seriously. Our circular economy strategy focuses on recyclable solutions that unlock pathways toward closing the loop on materials,” explained Davide Reverdito Bove, Sector Marketing Manager at Covestro. “In SABIC, we found an expert partner. This close collaboration will enable us to accelerate the engineering and testing process of our new heat-resistant coating for BOPE with clear benefits for the product quality, the customer, and the planet.”
Covestro’s heat-resistant coating has several benefits for packaging manufacturers. It prevents heat seal bars from sticking during the sealing stage of the HFFS and VFFS process – allowing for a broader sealing temperature window and eliminating wrinkling and shrinkage. This enables the creation of high-performing mono-material flexible stand-up pouches with simple, single-stream recyclability.
“Thanks to this heat-resistant coating solution for flexible packaging, manufacturers can meet challenges in processing, without compromising on the properties and machinability of the packaging,” said Roel Beckers, Sales Manager at Covestro. “It allows a faster switch to mono-PE solutions and the use of the BOPE material as we work with global value chain partners who share our mindset of contributing to a more circular plastics economy.”
Although the coating is currently at the proof-of-concept stage, Covestro and SABIC are excited to further develop this innovative solution into a commercial product, helping brands and consumers achieve their sustainability ambitions. By embracing open innovation, both Covestro and SABIC are also committed to working together with the full packaging value chain to accelerate the introduction of more circular packaging solutions to the market.
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