Page 58 - Plastics News Issue October 2025
P. 58
BUSINESS NEWS
TOTAL ENERGIES PARTNERS WITH SML FOR
RECYCLABLE FILM SOLUTIONS
high-performance resins such as Lumicene Su-
pertough polymers — delivering excellence in
product quality and line performance.”
Innovation for different applications
The first film is designed for resealable barrier
stand-up pouch applications. It combines PE
with a thin layer of ethylene-vinyl alcohol copol-
otalEnergies and SML have developed ymer to deliver good oxygen barrier properties.
two films that enable material savings in
Tstand-up pouch and deep-freeze bag ap- The film combines “excellent film flatness” with
plications through efficient downgauging. The downgauging over 30% without compromising
new solutions will be exhibited at K 2025 in Düs- performance versus PE/PET structures. The 60
seldorf, Germany, from October 8–15. μm film works with or without lamination, and
when used alone, can simplify recycling.
The fully recyclable films are made with TotalEn-
ergies’ Lumicene Supertough, which is suitable The second film, intended for deep-freeze bag
for existing recycling streams while contributing applications, is an unlaminated machine-direc-
to the development of a circular economy for tion-oriented PE cast film that achieves a re-
plastics. TotalEnergies and SML aim to provide duction in thickness in the range of 35% to 50%
customers with flexible packaging solutions that compared to conventional deep-freeze bag
enhance sustainability and allow cost-efficiency structures, avoiding an energy-consuming lami-
through effective downgauging. nation process.
Olivier Greiner, vice president, polymers Europe Last year, TotalEnergies introduced a very low
and Orient at TotalEnergies, says: “By combin- linear density PE grade branded Advanced Su-
ing our innovative polymers with SML’s high-per- pertough 12AST05. The grade aims to address
formance cast film technology, these new films various film applications and can be used in
contribute to innovative packaging solutions, formulations to replace ethylene-vinyl acetate
aligning with manufacturer needs. They illustrate grades to improve the recyclability of stretch
our approach to polymer development, which hood applications.
includes rethinking their use and reducing their
environmental impact through enhanced mate- Meanwhile, TotalEnergies has been developing
rial properties.” different plastic recycling processes. Last year,
the company converted feedstocks from plastic
Elias Mayrhofer, product manager at SML, com- waste into circular polymers “for the first time”
ments: “SML’s cast MDO technology demon- in the US at its PP plant in La Porte.
strates its full strength when combined with Source - https://packagingeurope.com
58 PLASTICS NEWS October 2025
