Innovative Stand-Up Pouch Designed for Recyclability Successfully Piloted for Retail

The growth of stand-up pouches with both variety in design and for applications ranging from the packaging of dry and frozen foods, liquid foods, pet foods and non-foods is fast growing and expected to continue. It now appears that the all-PE (mono-material) structures have already gained a lead simply because of their potential recyclability advantage. That’s a key reason why we have an upcoming feature article on this trend slated for our November issue, and it will be a major highlight at the upcoming K 2019 trade show.

Dow is one example of a company that will highlight this trend with several such structures showcased. Among them is a new resealable pouch designed for recyclability and end-of-life disposal into existing recycling streams that is the resulted from joint development between Dow, brand owner RB, and converter Drukpol.Flexo. Using Dow’s PE film resins, the stand-up pouch was designed for RB’s Finish perfume-free dishwasher detergent line.

The development team worked together to overcome the challenge of creating a mono-material, PE-based packaging that can be produced on existing equipment and enable extra functionalities like zippers, easy opening, and the right mix of stiffness and flexibility. The challenge was addressed with the use of Dow’s Dowlex leading-edge catalyst-based LLDPE, Agility LDPE performance resins based on patented advanced tubular technology, and Affinity high-melt index elastomer based hot-melt adhesives.

Said Krzysztof Krajewski, RB’s head of packaging innovation, “RB is committed to reducing, reusing and recycling materials in our packaging. We constantly search for solutions to address plastic waste and believe that plastic packaging designed for recyclability is the way forward. With this innovative mono-material pouch, we are able to offer consumers easy-to-use packaging with enhanced features. Our new packaging is supported by existing recycling waste management systems and because the packing is lighter in weight, we are also able to reduce transportation costs and emissions.”

Drukpol.Flexo contributed to the innovation with their converting expertise, supporting RB with assistance required for their packaging lines. Said company v.p. Kamil Ziemak, “We are excited about the outcome of this collaboration with Dow and RB and look forward to continue working together to help the industry close the loop on plastic packaging. The packaging is not only designed for recyclability, but also offers a high-quality customer experience with respect to performance like look, feel and ease-of-use.”

The new packaging was tested with the “0% perfume-free green line” of Finish dishwasher detergent at German retailers and online through Amazon and received 4+ stars consumer feedback on product features and quality.