Austrian duo, Borealis AG and Mondi Group have developed a breakthrough food packaging solution which offers high performance and is easy to recycle.
The solution is based on Borealis’ proprietary Borstar Nucleation Technology (BNT), which involves nucleating polypropylene (PP) during polymerization as opposed to the standard approach of adding a nucleating agent during pelletization.
The process, according to the Austrian polyolefin supplier, increases stiffness of materials without negatively affecting the drop impact resistance, thus enabling downgauging.
In addition, needing lower extrusion temperature the BNT materials reduce energy consumption by up to 10 percent and reduce cycle times thanks to shorter cooling times.
Using Borealis BC918CF, a special BNT-modified copolymer, Mondi is producing new easy-to-recycle monomaterial packaging solutions for meat and dairy products.
The products, according to Borealis, have the same performance characteristics as conventional multimaterial packaging, which are difficult to recycle.
Finding viable substitutes for multimaterial plastics in food packaging — particularly for chilled products such as cheeses, sliced meats and other foodstuffs packaged on trays — is especially challenging due to complex requirements with regard to safety, hygiene, freshness, as well as visual aesthetics.
Borealis claims that its innovative PP solutions based on Borealis BC918CF and random copolymer RB707CF are suitable monomaterial substitutes for multimaterial plastics.
The solutions offer a high moisture barrier and reduce materials costs, thanks to their downgauging and efficient processing features.
Borealis BC918CF is especially suitable for downgauging thermoformed packaging.