NOVA’s Application Development team has been working tirelessly to accelerate the delivery of monomaterial flexible packaging to industry and consumers. By designing a package to only use a single material, polyethylene (PE), the package constitutes a high quality material which gives it potential for recycling post-use. We’re thrilled to share that through our collaborative efforts with international equipment manufacturers, we’ve made meaningful progress towards increasing the accessibility and versatility of this packaging.
The companies we chose to work with on this effort are leaders in their fields and have the ability to supply machines that produce oriented films. By working together, we are driving innovation in packaging and ultimately creating new opportunities to utilize all PE packaging.
The unique aspect of this work focuses on using our innovative polyethylene (PE) products in multilayer films to produce Machine Direction Orientation (MDO) and Biaxially Oriented (BOPE-HD) films. The products we utilize for these applications include:
BOPE:The use of orientation on PE film to improve the properties of film is not new. However, recent resin innovations alongside equipment innovations have made it a viable alternative which can replace multi-material, non-recyclable packages on store shelves. In 2020, we produced the first BOPE resin which was the first HDPE technology specifically developed for the demanding biaxial orientation process. The external launch and commercialization of this product came later in 2021. Its success has unlocked a significant PE market expansion opportunity.
Additionally, we’ve seen success in combining our oriented film with our new portfolio of ASTUTE™ plastomers. These products are used in blown multilayer films that are paired with our oriented PE films to create high performance, all-PE packaging.
As we move forward, we will continue to nurture and expand these partnerships, exploring new avenues of collaboration, and driving towards shared goals. These collaborations are not just about the present, they are building blocks for a sustainable future we collectively aspire to create.
| Coconut Chips - MDO based PE pouch containing food contact rPE in collaboration with Windmöller & Hölscher, Flair, and Ampacet | Berry Oat Breakfast Cookies - MDO based high barrier PE pouch in collaboration with Windmöller & Hölscher, Flair, and Ampacet | Puppy Bones - MDO based high puncture PE pouch in collaboration with Hosokawa Alpine and Flair |
| Stir Fry - MDO-HDPE based PE pouch in collaboration with Reifenhauser and Totani | Dried Figs - BOPE-HD based PE pouch in collaboration with Inteplast Group BOPP Films, Inteplast Engineered Films, Flair, and Totani | Dried Apricots - BOPE-HD based PE pouch containing food contact rPE in collaboration with Inteplast Group BOPP Films, Inteplast Engineered Films, Printpack, and Effytec |