Saica Flex, the flexible packaging division of Saica Group, has developed a new range of ready-to-recycle mono-material pouch laminates that can include over 50% recycled materials.
The new pouch laminate is 100% based on PE, mono-material, and designed to be recycled according to CEFLEX and PRE (Plastics Recyclers Europe) guidelines.
The solution has reportedly already been tested successfully in pouch form-fill-seal lines for detergent monodoses and is currently being adapted and tested for other home, personal care, and dry food applications.
The new laminate has not required any modifications at the customer’s filling line, and has, according to Saica, achieved similar results in terms of packaging performance and filling speed when compared with conventional unrecyclable multi-material solutions, including the use of reseal zippers and laser scoring for easy opening.
The recycled PE resin is produced by Saica Natur, the business division of Saica Group in charge of waste management and environmental services, with the aim of allowing full traceability and process control within the group.
The Natur Cycle Plus plant in El Burgo de Ebro (Spain) produces recycled low-density polyethylene resin (rLDPE) for the production of new primary packaging. Production capacity has doubled in 2020 reaching 25,000 tonnes per year. Natur Cycle Plus resin is certified by EuCertPlast as 100% post-consumer recycled.
The new laminate enlarges Saica Flex’s Greenheart portfolio of flexible packaging solutions with PCR content. Saica says that this product fulfills the new regulatory changes and new taxation on plastics being introduced in different EU countries, which incentivises recyclable solutions with a minimum of 30% recycled content.
