PE and BOPP High-Barrier Films for Mono-Material Packaging

With growing attention on the problem of plastic waste, there is heightened demand for more eco-friendly packaging. Numerous global companies are taking measures toward targets for better circulation of containers and packaging, and efforts to drive recycling by adopting mono-material structures are gaining momentum around the world. Schemes for the recovery and recycling of polyethylene are starting to be seen in the U.S., and polypropylene is regarded as a recyclable material in Europe and other regions. In a PACK EXPO Connects demo, David Derfler, Sales Manager at Toppan USA, Inc. (Toppan USA), demonstrated how the company is responding to these trends by driving the shift to mono-material functional packaging.

Toppan USA, a subsidiary of Toppan Printing (Toppan), announced that it has completed preparations for the production and supply of PE- and BOPP-based additions to its series of GL BARRIER transparent vapor-deposited barrier films. Full-scale sales of PE-based “GL-LE-G” and BOPP-based “GL-LP-G” launched this month, initially for the U.S. and European markets. Toppan can now offer GL BARRIER films with PET, PE, and BOPP substrates to facilitate a full range of functional, mono-material packaging. According to Toppan USA, samples of GL-LE-G and GL-LP-G have been made available to selected customers around the world since late 2019 under the provisional names GL-X-LE and GL-X-LP-G, and extensive assessments have been conducted to confirm their performance and market viability. Says Toppan, with GL-LE-G, the company has employed its advanced processing technology to overcome the difficulty of vapor deposition on PE and has created the world’s first transparent vapor-deposited barrier film with a PE substrate.

GL-LP-G, meanwhile, is said by the company to achieve the world’s highest-level barrier performance for a BOPP film. Says Toppan USA, “Both films demonstrate outstanding processability for printing and lamination with other materials, making them suitable for a wide range of purposes.”

Sales of GL-LE-G, GL-LP-G, and GL-BP—a BOPP-based high-barrier film for boiling water sterilization and hot filling—will be targeted at the food and toiletries sectors. “GL-LE-G and GL-LP-G have been made possible by taking full advantage of the technologies Toppan has developed over more than 30 years as a global leader in the manufacture of transparent vapor-deposited films,” says Masa Tatewaki, Toppan USA President & CEO. “With strong demand for eco-friendly and recyclable packaging solutions in light of such issues as the problem of plastic waste, we have received considerable interest in these new films and are targeting sales of $20 million in 2025. We will continue to advance more readily recyclable mono-material packaging for wide ranging contents and target the development of eco-friendly packages facilitating the circulation of plastic resources for a sustainable society.”

To view demos from Toppan USA, Inc. (available through March 31, 2021) and to add the company to your MyConnects Planner, click here.