Page 48 - Packaging News magazine November-December 2022

INNOVATION AT K-FAIR
Mapping progress in plastics at K-Fair
K-Fair is primarily a plastics and rubber show covering a vast array of industries including automotive, consumer goods, industrial additive technology and med-tech solutions, which sit well beyond yet inspire our specialised world of packaging. Michael Grima reports for PKN.
WITH OVER 3700 exhibitors across 17 halls at Messe-Dusseldorf, the ability to take on board even 10 per cent of the offers at K-Fair in the allocated seven days was nigh impos- sible – let alone across the four days I spent at the show.
Compared to previous visits, at K-Fair 2022 the packaging footprint had increased – driven in part by the entire plastics industry’s shift towards embracing circularity, digitisation, decarbonisation, and collaboration, with its thirst for improved sorting tech- nology and post-consumer recycled and renewable materials evident on many of the stands.
Circular material sources were not just wedded to mechanical recyclate material, but a growing emphasis on non-fossil fuel-based feedstock – be it from bio-based origins, increased capacity of chemical recycling, or more recently, the push towards using waste residue as a renewable raw material.
Neste, amongst others, utilises food waste for its Neste RE product made entirely of renewable raw materials. This material is sourced primarily from vegetable oil and residue streams via the food service sector.
Resin supplier Borealis has started to produce polypropylene based on renew- able feedstock, utilising it in large-scale commercial production levels under its ISCC PLUS Bornewables portfolio.
The Borealis partnership with Neste is an active example of the Mass Balance Model – where renewables or recycled feedstock is mixed with virgin raw materials in the production process. This was a model heavily promoted by most major resin suppliers throughout K-Fair and brings a major shift towards a common circular practice.
What is evident is not only the chal- lenge in sourcing certified sustainable
materials, but the important role trace- ability plays. Without it, the efficacy of the material and trust in the system is lost, and the altruist pursuit of a circu- lar economy cannot be achieved.
PACKAGING & MATERIAL DEVELOPMENTS
Many suppliers offered certified renewable solutions, where the use of materials with ISCC PLUS Mass Balance accredited bio-based feedstock content were offered. These materials are not in direct competition with the human food chain and help reduce potential effects of climate change.
Above: Packaging had a big footprint at K-Fair 2022.
Below: Sabic displayed a collaborative development with Covestro (left) of a recyclable BOPE stand up pouch with heat resistant coating, and chemically recycles solutions for Heinz and Mars.
In the packaging space much development was focused on CEFLEX- compliant mono-polyolefin flexible structures.
Saudi petrochemical manufacturer SABIC had a prominent display cov- ering a vast array of sustainable and circular solutions under its Advanced Packaging and TRUCIRCLE portfolio.
One of the challenges with the shift to mono-polymer CEFLEX films in Australia, has been dealing with the lower sealing temperatures needed for polyolefin films without the protective means of PET or PA layers.
A potential solution is a collabora- tive development between SABIC and Covestro of a fully recyclable BOPE stand up pouch utilising Covestro’s heat resistant coating resin. The transparent coating is currently in trial phase but has been tested and validated in offer- ing a wider sealing temperature window when processing on FFS (form fill seal) lines. This prevents both film shrinkage and film sticking to heat seal bars and stands as a possible solution to replace PET or PA laminates in non-CEFLEX compliant structures.
Mitsubishi hosted a pavilion showing an extensive range of CEFLEX- compliant packaging direct with its own PVOH based barrier solutions such as its Nichigo G-Polymer grades that meet global and Australian Certified Compostable standards. It shared
48 ❙ NOVEMBER – DECEMBER 2022
WWW.PACKAGINGNEWS.COM.AU