November, 7, 2022 – At K22, Reifenhäuser Blown Film presented a fully recyclable pouch with a barrier effect against oxygen and water vapor that is suitable for food packaging. The solution is a further development of the all-PE mono-pouch already established on the market. The Reifenhäuser Barrier Pouch makes a further contribution to higher plastic recycling rates and a functioning circular economy.

While fully recyclable pouches for non-food packaging have been established on the market for some time, the necessary oxygen barrier in food packages - and the materials and film thicknesses required for this - has stood in the way of their recyclability. Reifenhäuser says its barrier pouch achieves the necessary barrier effect with an EVOH content of less than five percent and thus meets all the requirements for complete recycling. The use of the patented EVO Ultra Stretch stretching unit makes it possible, says Reifenhäuser: it increases the barrier effect of the EVOH by stretching and thus reduces the EVOH content while maintaining the barrier effect.

Eugen Friedel, Director Sales at Reifenhäuser Blown Film, explains: "The demand for recyclable products is growing steadily. This also increases the demand for EVOH, which is already hard to come by. With our fully recyclable barrier pouch, we meet two challenges at the same time: the pouch meets all market requirements for sustainable packaging and at the same time enables resource-saving handling of scarce and high-priced EVOH."

As before, the film produced can be further processed and converted without any problems, Reifenhäuser says. Thanks to the patented position of the stretching unit directly in the haul-off of the blown film line, the film is stretched at the ideal time and from the first heat, which makes the process particularly efficient and stable.

The Reifenhäuser Group is a leading provider of innovative technologies and components for plastics extrusion. Founded in 1911, the company supplies high-technology solutions all over the world. With its technologies and the know-how of its 1,750 employees, Reifenhäuser claims to have the world's largest network of expertise in plastics extrusion technologies. The CEO of the Group is Bernd Reifenhäuser

Source: Reifenhäuser