Page 48 - Plastics News October 2023
P. 48
BUSINESS NEWS
Sabic Partnership Yields In-Mold Labeling Milestone
aging with no compromise on shelf As part of the present collaboration,
visibility and consumer appeal in the the final BOPP label film is supplied to
retail space. At the same time, it can Karydakis, a leading specialist in opti-
help manufacturers and brand owners mized printing techniques, ink formu-
reduce their environmental impact lations and conversion technologies
and carbon footprint while addressing tailored to PP-based in-mold labels.
the need for preventing valuable used The company’s sophisticated process
plastic from ending up as waste.” delivers high-quality labels pre-print-
ollaboration with Taghleef ed with captivating designs and brand-
Cand two other companies de- The IML label substrate is biaxially ori- ing elements to match end customer
buts first in-mold labeling solution ented PP (BOPP). specifications and ensure the effort-
with certified renewable polymers The label material for the IML contain- less integration with the containers
for food packaging containers. ers is a biaxially oriented polyethylene throughout the molding process.
Sabic along with three companies (BOPP) film produced by Taghleef, a Bio-based materials available for IML
specializing in in-mold labeling (IML) leading global supplier of films solu- container sizes from 50 mL to 50 Lit-
introduce the use of certified renew- tions to customers worldwide, us- ers.
able polypropylene (PP) resins in high ing a Sabic certified renewable resin
quality mono-PP thin-wall container tailored to the BOPP process. BOPP Giorgos Karydakis, General Manager
packaging. And that’s without com- films are widely used for in-mold la- at Karydakis IML S.A., states: “With
promising quality, processability, safe- beled injection molding applications this collaborative initiative, we are
ty or convenience. in food, dairy and beverages, home, demonstrating the feasibility of bio-
beauty, and personal care packaging. based materials in the production of
The single-step IML technology Taghleef offers transparent, white, high-quality IML labels. We offer our
achieves a seamless part decoration and metalized PP label films, all of customers a wide range of attractive
right in the injection mold, where the which can produced using polymers printing options for cups, tubs, jars,
label becomes an integral component with bio-based feedstock. shakers, and pails in sizes from 50
of the packaging itself. Dedicated label mL to 50 Liters, including additional
film types and high-definition printing Furthermore, they can easily be cus- digital watermarking with material
technology result in a very attractive tomized to meet specific needs of information in line with the European
and cost-effective decorative solu- gravure or offset printing for desired HolyGrail 2.0 initiative for smart auto-
tion. Besides using certified renew- haptic textures and visual appearance, mated mechanical recycling.”
from glossy, matt, orange peel or vel-
able PP resins for both the molded
parts and the label film, the resulting vet feel to an entirely non-label look. Augustinos Kotronis, General Man-
packaging can be recycled in existing “Our BOPP film range for in-mold- ager at Kotronis Packaging, explains:
rigid PP recycling streams. labeling gives brand owners a wide “In-mold labeling offers substantial
productivity benefits, since it elimi-
Abdullah Al-Otaibi, General Manager, choice of premium packaging finishes nates the need for separately applied
ETP & Market Solutions at Sabic, says: to enhance brand differentiation and adhesive labels on the finished packag-
shelf visibility with a low environmen-
“The demand for in-mold labeled ing product by forming a permanent,
packaging is constantly growing across tal impact,” explains Monica Battis- tamper proof bond with the contain-
various different consumer market tella, sustainability manager, Taghleef. er right in the mold. In addition, the
segments, as it provides major oppor- “In combination with the sustainable renewable container material from
tunities for cost effective and highly nature of Sabic’s mass balance certi- Sabic complies with all relevant inter-
fied renewable polymer from second-
sustainable solutions. Together with national standards for food-contact
the responsibly sourced and certified generation feedstock, the exceptional applications, while showing excellent
renewable polymers from our TruCir- printability, die-cutting, anti-static and processability on our machines, in-
cle portfolio, this flexible decoration non-stick properties of these films de- cluding high flowability for reduced
technology has enormous potential in liver maximum value throughout the wall thicknesses.
entire life cycle of the labeled prod-
fully recyclable mono-material pack-
ucts, including end-of-life recycling.”
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