In a move intended to meet increasing demand for recyclable packaging, ExxonMobil has worked with Hosokawa Alpine, Henkel, Nordmeccanica Group, and Univel to produce a high-barrier, recyclable MDO-PE/PE laminate said to be suitable for a range of food products.
Reportedly, the laminate offers the functional requirements for various food packaging applications, including dry and liquid products; its moisture and oxygen barrier properties are set to protect edible products, keeping them fresh for consumption.
It is thought to balance its barrier properties with easy recyclability in existing programmes and facilities compatible with plastic film, which conventional packaging materials have not always achieved. Additionally, its stiffness and clarity is expected to make the laminate a suitable alternative to PET, BOPP, and other traditional materials.
The MDO-PE film is made from ExxonMobil’s Exceed S, Enable, and HD7165Ml polyethylene resin, while the PE sealant film constitutes Exceed S, Enable, and ExxonMobil HDPE. Henkel’s LOCITITE Liofol is combined with printing ink and a vacuum-metallized layer to form the lamination and barrier coatings.
As part of the collaboration, ExxonMobil provides the polyethylene resin. Hosokawa Alpine brings a five-layer blown film line with inline MDO, while Henkel offers its LOCITITE Liofol BC 1582 RE barrier coating.
Nordmeccanica’s Nordmet 12F Plus and Super Combi 5000 vacuum and coating machinery are used to apply the functional layers, and Univel unlocks the printed MDO film.
A full case study is available to run interested parties through the laminate’s potential benefits, oxygen and water transmission rates, and more.
Previously, ExxonMobil provided its Exceed performance polyethylene in a collaboration with Bonduelle and Constantia Drukpol – resulting in a mono-PE freezer film for Bonduelle’s plant-based food products. The solution is expected to serve as a recyclable, non-laminated alternative to traditional laminated metallized films.
It also joined forces with COLINES to produce the low-thickness High Tenacity Hand Wrap film for manual and automatic application. Showcased at NPE 2024, it is said to contain 35% post-consumer recycled material.
Meanwhile, Reifenhäuser Blown Film revealed the ‘world’s first’ 18-micrometre MDO-PE film at drupa 2024. It claims to reduce the thickness of previous films by 25% and enable companies to transition into fully recyclable, low-carbon mono-material flexibles.
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