Italy-based Ticinoplast, a specialised producer of polyethylene film for packaging, has developed a new range of films as a sustainable, compostable alternative to conventional packaging films.
The products are being marketed under the brand name NextFilm and have been designed ‘to fulfil the Circular Economy dictates’, said the company.
The first products in the new family are based on the biodegradable and compostable Mater-Bi materials produced by bioplastic manufacturer Novamont.
The films are compliant with the international standard UNI EN 13432 for lamination or for single-use packaging of food and products. The products were developed in collaboration with Novamont, over a period of almost 3 years.
The films feature good mechanical properties, good printability and are suitable for processing on every packaging machine. The films are also available with barrier properties.
SAES Coated Films, who also cooperated on the development, contributed its proprietary Coathink coating and metallisation technology to create high-barrier compostable films with oxygen and moisture barrier levels comparable to those of conventional packaging systems.
Coathink is a water-based lacquer coating technology able to impart barrier properties to different types of polymer substrates. SAES Coated Films has developed a family of products for high barrier and compostable flexible packaging complying with EN 13432, which can be disposed of in the wet fraction at the end of life.
Ticinoplast plans to add more products to the NextFilm family in the near future. These will include polyethylene films derived from biobased sources and from chemically recycled resins – and hence suitable for food contact. To that end, Ticinoplast is also pursuing ISCC+ certification.