Toray, Dow and others jointly develop sustainable film packaging materials and technologies

Toray Industries, Dow Chemical, Comexi Group Industries, SAU, Sakata Inx Corporation and SGK Japan (Schawk Japan KK) announced that they have jointly developed surface printing mono-material film packaging material technology.

This breakthrough complies with EU packaging and packaging waste regulations and is designed to help achieve a low-carbon, circular global economy. The material will be used in a wide range of food and everyday product applications. Flexible film substrates find many different applications, including food packaging and detergent refill bags, because they are lightweight, transparent and easy to process.

The European Union mandates that by 2030, all packaging materials should be designed with recyclability in mind. Toray, Dow Chemical, Comexi, Sakata Inx and SGK JAPAN have responded to this development by jointly developing a surface printing mono-material film packaging material technology. This technology can reduce plastic consumption and significantly reduce CO2 emissions during the printing process, while meeting the above recommendations. In addition to designing for recyclability and reducing CO2 emissions, the technology should help reduce costs and shorten lead times by streamlining the manufacturing process.

In this collaboration, Toray uses its new RESOLUCIA flexographic plates for film packaging printing. The platemaking process uses water instead of organic solvents during the development process to ensure high printing quality. Dow has contributed by designing and producing polyethylene films suitable for surface printing, including thin gas barrier layers and high-performance materials such as INNATE and AFFINITY resins to achieve the abuse resistance and sealing properties required for conversion. Sakata Inx supplies electron beam flexo inks and varnishes for producing printed materials on Comexi electron beam flexo presses, which are known for their high productivity and ease of use. The packaging design is printed on the surface only, reducing the number of film layers required. SGK Japan's design approach minimizes ink usage while maintaining aesthetic quality.

The companies are joining forces to leverage advanced printing technology to standardize film packaging for food and daily necessities. This will ultimately reduce the environmental footprint of the film packaging industry and promote a sustainable economy. The partner companies will display samples of film packaging materials using this technology at their booths during DRUPA 2024.