A Look At Mono Material Packaging & Why It's On The Rise

With Plastic Tax promptly approaching, brands who rely on plastic packaging which contains a high percentage of virgin plastics will be forced to explore alternative packaging materials to avoid rising tax costs. Due to this, according to research by Smithers, the demand for mono-material flexible packaging is expected to grow at an average rate of 3.9% to 26.03 million tonnes during 2020 – 2025. This article explores flexible packaging, its components and the key characteristics of mono-material packaging as this is a huge step forward in the flexible packaging industry.

Generally, flexible packaging consists of multiple layers which are typically split into the following 3 categories:

1. Sealing layer – this layer is called a sealant due to its function in creating a seal to prevent leakage.
2. Barrier layer – this layer acts as a barrier against oxygen and moisture, which are vital as these impact the taste, texture, shelf life and consistency of the products contained.
3. Printing layer – the outer layer is predominately for printing labels, logos or details which act as branding and communications to the consumers.

With the introduction of plastic tax, the multilayer flexible food packaging industry is under pressure to redesign for recyclability, as most multilayer films are not sorted or capable of being recycled with the current infrastructure. This is where mono material flexible packaging comes in...

So, what is Mono Material Packaging?

The main characteristic which describes mono-material packaging is when materials are made entirely out of a single material, which presents various recyclability benefits. For instance, PE, paper or PP in every layer. In direct contrast to this is multilayer packaging. As the name suggests, this is when packaging material is made up from multiple materials. For instance, plastic with an aluminium film, paper and PE films, PP and paper.

Typically, the more layers the packaging materials includes, the more difficult the recycling of the product becomes as individual layers cannot be easily separated to go into recycling. Think of a crisp packet for example with their metallised layers – these materials typically end up in landfill or have to be incinerated which results in higher C02 levels and negative environmental impacts.

Challenges of Material Substitution 

With the above in mind, it's no surprise the substitution of a specific material is challenging for many businesses, particularly with the importance of barrier properties of mono material packaging. As the main purpose of packaging is the products’ protection, this could result in negative impacts, for instance:

• A reduction of food shelf-life
• Higher packaging weights
• Impact on products taste, smell, texture etc.
• Feasibility of recyclability and environmental impacts increased
  environmental burden are imaginable consequences that need to be considered when
  taking steps towards the goal of packaging redesign for holistic sustainability.

Discover EcoPack

Our new recyclable flexible packaging paper, EcoPack, allows businesses to circumvent avoidable plastic packaging. EcoPack also offers incredible barrier characteristics, including oxygen and moisture transmission rates, you can get in touch with our team if you would like to discover more about our packaging material.