GERMANY – Siegwerk, a prominent global provider of printing inks and coatings for packaging, has launched a fully recyclable mono-polyethylene (PE) bag that is specially designed for dry pet food products.
Developed in collaboration with Windmöller & Hölscher and B&B, leading manufacturers of printing machinery and bag-making technology, this new packaging solution offers high performance and environmental sustainability.
The initiative comes in response to escalating pressure from the European Union for brands and packaging manufacturers to prioritize circularity and sustainability in their packaging designs.
While meeting stringent food safety and freshness requirements for pet food packaging, which often necessitate barriers resistant to oils and fats, has historically posed challenges to sustainability efforts.
Traditional multi-material structures with metalized layers have been commonplace but fall short in recyclability.
Belal Habib, head of brand owner collaboration at Siegwerk, emphasized the need for innovative approaches to meet regulatory demands for circular packaging while maintaining essential performance attributes.
“This is where innovative barrier coatings applied in thin layers and in line with regular printing inks can help to switch from an incompatible multi-material structure to a fully recyclable mono-material solution in the sense of a circular economy,” Habib said.
Siegwerk’s new packaging solution incorporates its proprietary CIRKIT GreaseBar, an inline printable grease barrier coating, and CIRKIT HeatGuard, a heat-resistant film coating.
These coatings, which are solvent-based and compatible with inline printing processes, ensure no compromise in printing performance.
Moreover, they adhere to the latest recycling guidelines for recyclable packaging, including the German Minimum Standard and RecyClass.
The result is a mono-PE bag that matches the performance of conventional non-recyclable systems while offering full recyclability.
Habib underscored the collaborative effort along the packaging value chain, combining industry expertise to deliver innovative, circular solutions that maintain process efficiencies and address the prevalence of multi-material laminated structures.
To showcase the new packaging innovation, Siegwerk will provide samples at Interzoo in Nuremberg, Germany, from May 7 to 10, at B&B’s booth #4A-413.
Additionally, Siegwerk and B&B will host a presentation titled “Recyclable Packaging Solutions for Pet Food” on May 8 during the exhibition.
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