Many multilayer barrier films for food packaging comprise a combination of PE and PA6, where PE acts as a barrier for moisture and PA6 is a barrier for oxygen. This combination significantly extends the shelf life of the packaged food. The same results, says APK, cannot be achieved using a mono-material PE film as the layer thicknesses to achieve sufficient barrier properties would be too high.
In short, the benefits include reduced rupturing of films during transport and so lower food wastage.
APK’s says that its Newcycling process makes it possible to recover re-granulates with properties ‘close to virgin plastics, from complex mixtures and multi-layer composites (so-called multilayer barrier packaging)’.
Florian Riedl, head of business development at APK AG, said: ‘Re-granulates, generated from multilayer PE/PA6 packaging waste can be used again in demanding flexible packaging which contributes to the target of a circular economy,’.
