Monomaterial barrier packaging

Sales start time

Started selling from December 2018

Description of technology and business model

As the issue of plastic waste attracts increasing attention, demand is growing for eco-friendly packaging materials and many global enterprises are setting recycling targets for high-quality resource circulation of plastic packaging. One such initiative is material recycling based on monomaterial packaging (such as horizontal recycling) .

Currently, most plastic packaging is composed of multiple materials. The difficulty in separating these into individual materials during the recycling process is a barrier for the promotion of horizontal recycling. Monomaterial packaging with barrier performance helps to promote such initiatives. Toppan has developed highly functional monomaterial packaging based on resins of each of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), and polypropylene (PP).

Conventionally, monomaterial packaging without barrier performance could not be used for applications that require barrier properties. By developing monomaterial packaging that also has barrier performance, Toppan will contribute to recycling initiatives. This is expected to help reduce the consumption of virgin plastics.

Achievements and goals

Sales of monomaterial PET-based barrier packaging began in July 2019. Sample shipments and sales began in October 2019 for GL-LE, which is a PE-based single-layer barrier film, and around the first half of 2020 for GL-BP, which is a PP-based laminated barrier film.

Toppan has factories in Japan and the United States, and sells monomaterial packaging globally.

URL that introduces the initiative

https://www.toppan.co.jp/news/2018/10/newsrelease181002_3.html(Japanese)

https://www.toppan.com/en/news/2019/07/newsrelease190702e.html

https://www.toppan.com/en/news/2019/09/newsrelease190920e.html