Innovia extends range of floatable polyolefin shrink sleeves supporting PET recycling

Packaging Solutions

Innovia Films has announced the extension of its product range for floatable polyolefin shrink films.

‘We are proud to share our extended range of floatable shrink sleeves that work in established PET, HDPE and PP waste streams,’ explained Lucija Kralj, business unit director labels EMEA.

‘We can now offer our customers several options – from a thinner downgauged version to a high shrink version and just like the clear film range, we now offer a white version which is ideal for light sensitive products like dairy, food supplements, nutritional products and cosmetics,’ she continued.

These films are sustainable alternatives for existing materials that are detrimental to recycling.

To support more mechanical recycling of post consumer packaging, design for recycling will be essential. There are still a lot of sleeve labels in the market that cause problems in PET recycling and are flagged by organisations like RecyClass or the Association of Plastic Recyclers that have created a comprehensive Design Guideline. ‘RayoFloat sleeve films are made from low density materials that are an ideal alternative. Automatically separate from the PET flakes in the sink/float process step at recyclers and float to the top of the washing tank – while the heavier PET flakes sink to the bottom. This is an ideal density separation that leads to very clean PET flakes that can be recycled back into new bottles – closing the loop,’ explained Marika Knorr, head of sustainability and communications.

The standard RayoFloat sleeve is 50 micron, but Innovia can also offer a thinner 45 micron version. This downgauged sleeve material is ideal for many bottle and container shapes and comes with the benefits of efficient material usage and a lower carbon footprint.

In the recent years, brand owners have gravitated towards more complex bottle shapes. This calls for a sleeve that has a high shrink rate so it can contour to the bottle seamlessly.

RayoFloat WAPO (White APO) offers protection for products that are light sensitive. The new film is a low density white film made from polyolefin that maintains floatability when printed. The opaque film contributes to the light blocking properties of the shrink sleeves that later can be applied to containers for light sensitive products.

‘Currently white PET bottles are used which are rarely recycled back into food grade applications because they contain colorants – so the bottles leave the packaging loop or are downcycled,’ explained Lucija. ‘Shifting from an opaque bottle to a clear PET bottle with a RayoFloat white shrink sleeve film will provide product protection and increases the amount of clear PET that can be reclaimed for bottle to bottle recycling. It is our goal to support this with a functional product decoration.’