Hoffmann Neopac has launched a line of mono-material barrier tubes providing product protection while being compatible with existing HDPE recycling processes. The tubes have RecyClass technology and product approval per the organisation’s “Recyclability Evaluation Protocol for HDPE Containers” standards.
Incorporating a mono-directional-oriented (MDO) barrier film technology, the tubes can reduce tube body weight by as much as 50% compared to the company’s conventional Polyfoil technology. They incorporate low-melt index high-density polyethylene (HDPE) caps to receive technology approval from RecyClass.
The tubes also incorporate a thin film metallisation option protected within the tube body structure for chemical decoration stability. This facet provides improved water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) barrier and enhanced metallisation optics similar to ABL (aluminum barrier laminate) tubes, which currently are not considered recyclable with HDPE recycling streams per RecyClass criteria. All tests were performed with fully printed tubes.
The product also obtained the AAA rating from Germany-based testing lab cyclos-HTP, Institute of Recyclability and Product Responsibility, which certifies that the product has a recyclability rate of more than 95%.
The tubes comprise tube bodies made of HDPE-based adhesive laminated barrier structures, containing less than 5% of foreign materials (barrier material, inks, adhesives, etc.) to avoid disruptions in existing recycling processes. Owing to the application of oriented and combined barrier technologies as well as pharma grade contact layers, the tubes provide product compatibility and protection while keeping the known aesthetic characteristics of Neopac’s conventional Polyfoil tubes.
The LCA study performed from an independent laboratory according to ISO 14.040/44 resp. ISO/TS 14.067 demonstrates that the “cradle to grave” carbon footprint of the MMB tubes is reduced up to 35% compared to Al barrier-containing Polyfoil tubes, depending on the wall thickness and end-of-line scenario selected.
“Combining the RecyClass-approved, lightweight Polyfoil MMB tubes with our available HDPE closure options creates a new platform of innovative tube solutions unsurpassed in their eco-friendliness,” said Dr Philippe Kern, Director of R&D and Quality Management. “Producing mono-material-based tube solutions with advanced thin film barrier options that maintain high performance barrier, provide premium product protection and extend shelf life has been a goal we’ve been moving toward for years. Creating these next generation tubes, which combine our 60 years expertise of barrier technology with premium esthetics, was an interesting challenge, and we are proud to have accomplished what amounts to a new paradigm in tube packaging sustainability.”
