Recyclable Materials for F&B Containers

Integrated liquid container system for storing and transporting liquids like edible oil that has a corrugated cardboard housing to reduce weight and cost compared to fully plastic containers. The liquid container inside is made of recycled or virgin thermoplastic like PET. The cardboard housing has apertures for the container neck to seal in. This allows using a lighter cardboard outer shell with the same volume container. It also allows recyclability of the container by separating the cardboard from the plastic. The cardboard reduces weight compared to a fully plastic container. The cardboard is also more recyclable than plastic.

Source

Food package with improved recyclability by using a single polyester material throughout. The package has a base and a peelable lid that are sealed together. The lid is fixedly attached to the base around part of the edge. The entire package is made of mono polyester material, with at least 95% being polyester. This allows easier recycling since the base and lid are both made of the same material. The lid can be peeled off and recycled with the base since they're both polyester.

Source

Single material-based packaging material with improved barrier properties and recyclability. The packaging material has layers including a base layer with an elastomer, a barrier layer, a first film layer of polyolefin, and a heat-resistant layer with a polyester binder. The elastomer in the base layer allows easy sealing. The polyolefin layers provide barrier properties against oxygen and moisture. The heat-resistant layer prevents wrinkling during processing. The single material composition allows recyclability compared to composite materials.

Source

Recyclable packaging for frozen food that allows controlled water transfer and absorption to prevent freezer burn and make opening easier, while also being fully recyclable. The packaging has a recyclable paper substrate with waterproof layers on one side and a permeable layer on the other side. The permeable layer allows controlled amounts of water and oxygen transfer through it, preventing freezer burn on the frozen food inside. The paper and coatings are all recyclable.

Source

Recyclable high-performance packaging films suitable for thermoforming into packaging components like trays and cups. The films are made from layers of polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, and a hydrocarbon resin. The middle layer between the polyethylene layers has a density range of 0.92-0.97 g/cm3. This allows wider temperature windows for thermoforming without sagging. The films are free from polyester, EVOH, and nucleating agents to improve recyclability. The thermoformed components made from these films can be recycled alongside HDPE containers, unlike multilayer films. The packaged products formed from these components can also be recycled.

Source

A household compostable and degradable high-barrier paper packaging that provides both biodegradability and barrier properties. The packaging uses an aluminum-plated layer compounded onto a cellulose film. The aluminum plating provides barrier properties against oxygen and moisture. The cellulose base is compostable and degradable. The aluminum plating process can be vacuum or transfer aluminum plating to adhere the aluminum to the cellulose. This allows creating a compostable and degradable packaging with improved barrier properties compared to plain cellulose.

Source

Coating composition for light-blocking containers like milk bottles that allows better recycling compared to existing light-blocking coatings. The composition contains a blend of a white pigment and a filler, a binder like nitrocellulose, and optionally an organic solvent. The white pigment and filler absorb/reflect light in the UV/VIS range to block it. This allows using less opaque containers that can be recycled with like-color containers. The composition is deinkable in alkaline solutions to enable post-consumer recycling.

Source

A recyclable packaging material that can be used in food applications and is easily produced. The packaging consists of multiple layers, with one layer being made from cellulosic material like paper and another layer containing casein (milk protein) or casein salts. The cellulosic layer provides recyclability, while the casein layer improves barrier properties. This allows reusable packaging that can be composted or recycled after use. The layers can be assembled by coating, extrusion, or lamination.

Source

A multi-layer flexible packaging material for dry foods like confectionery that balances improved barrier properties, recyclability, and marine degradation. The packaging has a paper layer, aluminum layer, nanoclay barrier coating layer, and sealing layer. The nanoclay barrier layer between the paper and aluminum provides barrier improvement without plastic. The nanoclay dispersed in a BVOH copolymer matrix. The sealing layer prevents moisture ingress. The paper layer enables recyclability. The barrier and sealing layers protect food. The nanoclay barrier degrades in marine environments.

Source

Recyclable paper-based packaging material with high barrier properties that can be recycled in the paper stream. The packaging structure has multiple layers, starting from an outer polymer coating, followed by a paperboard layer, an adhesive layer, a barrier metallized paper layer, and an inner polymer coating. The barrier metallized paper layer has a thin metallic coating on a paper substrate. The paperboard, adhesive, and inner/outer polymer coatings allow recycling the structure in the paper stream. The barrier properties come from the metallized paper layer and the inner/outer polymer coatings.

Source

Packaging laminate for food products that meets USDA and FDA requirements for extending shelf life, being recyclable, and having high barrier properties. The laminate has two or more layers of polyolefins like HDPE, LDPE, LLDPE, and PP. The outer layer is a printable HDPE with calcium carbonate. The inner layer is HDPE, LLDPE, and LDPE with an EVOH barrier and compatibilizer. This allows sealing, recyclability, and barrier properties for food packaging. The laminate can also have a middle HDPE layer.

Source

Hot fill container design with improved strength and shape stability for hot-filling beverages in containers with high recycled content. The container has sidewall ribs that resist longitudinal stretching during filling and compression during cooling. The ribs also provide resistance to deformation from internal pressure and vacuum forces. The ribs extend around the circumference and have recessed channels that prevent paneling. This allows using more recycled PET without compromising shape. The base structure has features to resist longitudinal expansion during filling. The container design mitigates distortion issues with lightweight, high recycled content containers that are common in hot filling.

Source

Eco-friendly laminate and packaging material with improved biodegradability, oxygen/moisture barrier properties, and sealing performance. The laminate has a paper layer with high biocarbon content (85%) and strength (8 MPa), and a thin biodegradable film layer made of bioplastic like PHA. The film layer has optimized biocarbon content (3-50%) and thickness (8-70 μm) for barrier and sealing properties. The laminate structure allows recyclability, biodegradation in soil/oceans, and compostability while maintaining packaging functionality. The laminate can be used as a sustainable alternative to conventional laminates and packaging materials for products like food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.

Source

Recyclable single-material high-barrier polyethylene composite paper for packaging boxes that can replace aluminum foil and be combined with cardboard. The composite paper has a paper base, outer PE layers, and an inner multi-layer composite layer containing PE, PVA, and PE. The composite layer thickness is 30-70um and the oxygen permeability of the PVA layer is less than 1cm3/(m2·24h·0.1MPa). This allows recyclability by separating the composite paper for recycling instead of composite materials. The composite paper can be used in liquid packaging boxes instead of aluminum foil.

Source

Laminate and packaging material that is highly biodegradable in soil and seawater, recyclable, and has improved barrier properties. The laminate has a paper layer and a biodegradable film layer with optimized biocarbon content. The biocarbon content of the paper layer is 0.01-0.25% and the biocarbon content of the film layer is 0.25-0.5%. This balance allows the laminate to decompose easily in soil and seawater while maintaining barrier properties. The laminate can be manufactured by coating a biodegradable resin on a paper substrate. The laminate can further have an adhesive layer between the paper and film layers. The packaging material can include additional layers like a coating for printability and anti-fouling.

Source

A method of producing containers like beverage bottles with a simple, environmentally friendly process that avoids complex multi-layer laminates. The method involves shaping a container blank made of a single-layer fiber composite material. The blank is moistened with water to soften the fibers and then pressed between molds to form the container shape. The moisture content of the blank is lower than the final container wall. This reduces the blank thickness during shaping and prevents wrinkles or burrs on the container opening. The resulting container has a single-layer wall made of a molded fiber composite material. It avoids complex multi-layer laminates with different polymers and aluminum barriers. The molded fiber composite material can be made from recycled fiber sources like chemical or mechanical pulp. The containers are lightweight, dimensionally stable, and have minimal environmental impact. The molded fiber composite material can also be used to line

Source

Recyclable, all-polyethylene laminate films for flexible packaging with improved gas barrier properties. The films have an ethylene-based barrier adhesive layer between two ethylene-based film layers. The barrier adhesive allows gas barrier without needing non-recyclable materials like metal or PET. The ethylene-only films provide recyclability. The barrier adhesive can be solvent-based, water-based, or solventless. The adhesive can contain isocyanate and an isocyanate-reactive component like a hydroxyl-terminated polyester. This allows gas barrier without adding non-recyclable materials. The ethylene-only films can have different densities and melting points to optimize properties.

Source

A method to produce sealed vessels for storing moisture-sensitive materials like powdered food that can be recycled easily. The method involves using a vessel closure with a sealing element made from a polymer composition having a maximum Shore A hardness of 80. The sealing element is applied to the vessel mouth at a temperature of 80°C or less. This allows recycling of the vessel and closure without issues. The vessel can also be filled with an inert gas like nitrogen before closing to prevent oxygen ingress. The method enables better recycling of sealed vessels compared to traditional closures with films, as the closure material can be easily recycled along with the vessel.

Source

A method to produce hermetically sealable paper packaging for food products that can be fully recycled and uses existing packaging machinery with minimal modifications. The method involves folding a flat paper sheet into a tube shape, sealing the longitudinal seam, filling it with product, then sealing the transverse seams. Glue is applied at the intersection points of the seams to prevent gaps. The glue dries before sealing. This allows recyclable paper packaging that can be produced on existing machines with simple modifications like a glue applicator.

Source

Recyclable, insulated shipping containers for temperature-sensitive items like food and pharmaceuticals that are fully recyclable and reusable. The containers are made of materials like cardboard, corrugated cardboard, and recycled paper pulp insulation that can be curbside recycled. The insulation is applied by filling equipment to inject or spray it into gaps between the boxes. This eliminates the need for foam-based insulation that is not recyclable. The containers can have an "box within a box" configuration or insulated panels inserted into an external box. The insulation fills the gaps between the boxes to provide insulation. The containers can be filled with loose-fill insulation after insertion to surround the inner box. The insulation prevents temperature loss during shipping.

Source