POLAND – Innovia Films, a division of CCL Industries, has broadened its range by introducing a novel floatable polyolefin shrink film tailored for light-sensitive products.

Marketed under the name RayoFloat white APO (WAPO), this white, low-density film, made from polyolefin, ensures floatability even after printing.

Manufactured at Innovia’s European facility in Płock, Poland, this new film stands alongside the company’s existing clear film range, aiming to ease the separation and removal of labels from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and other plastic containers during recycling processes.

This feature proves invaluable as it facilitates the automatic detachment of labels during sink or float sorting, thereby increasing the yield of high-quality PET flakes crucial for food-grade recycling.

Moreover, the film’s opaque nature enhances its light-blocking properties, making it an ideal solution for light-sensitive products in various industries including dairy, food supplements, nutritional products, and cosmetics.

Simon Huber, Managing Director of Innovia Europe, emphasized the significance of this innovation, stating, “Many light-sensitive products are packaged in HDPE bottles, which are not currently recycled back into food-grade packaging.

“This innovation has the potential to revolutionize the industry, enabling dairy brands and other companies with light-sensitive products to transition to transparent PET bottles that can be recycled back into food-grade packaging, thus completing the loop.”

Innovia further asserts that its new RayoFloat range complies with the new packaging guidelines outlined in the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

Additionally, the film aligns with sustainability objectives by supporting a closed-loop system within production facilities and incorporating up to 20% post-industrial recycled content.

Lucija Kralj, Director of Innovia EMEA Labels business unit, remarked on the importance of the forthcoming PPWR from the EU, stating, “As all packaging will need to be recyclable by 2030 and certain recycled content targets will be mandatory, a transparent PET bottle with a floatable sleeve that automatically detaches during sorting and recycling emerges as the ideal solution.”

Last year, the company invested a new coating line to develop a new range of PVC-free films for the graphics sector at their site in Wigton, Great Britain.

The new line has been specified with enhanced capabilities to allow the application of highly specialized coatings onto Innovia’s BOPP (Polypropylene) substrates.

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