SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, is addressing the challenges of the packaging industry with an extensive display of advanced material and technology solutions at Interpack 2023, demonstrating the feasibility of combining enhanced sustainability with high durability and aesthetics.  

Over the past three years, the company has been collaborating with leading players across the packaging value chain, focusing on key drivers in the market: waste reduction, use of certified circular polymers, certified renewable polymers, closed-loop solutions, enhanced functionality/consumer appeal and industrial solutions. The products and samples on display at Booth B21 in Hall 9 during the show from May 4 to 10 at Messe Düsseldorf, Germany, feature many solutions from SABIC's TRUCIRCLE™ program and demonstrate how dedicated industrial partnerships are accelerating the journey towards real circularity without compromising product performance.  

Reduce waste

One of the most effective means of reducing waste is the use of durable yet lightweight, mono-material solutions and applications designed for recycling.  

Tethered closures: Injection molded with an organoleptic SABIC® HDPE food-grade, this tethered closure design for recycling meets with the new single-use plastics directive that makes closures, caps and lids to remain attached to all beverage containers mandatory by 2024 in the EU.  

Heat-resistant mono-PE pouches: A recyclable stand-up pouch made with SABIC® BOPE material including Covestro's heat-resistant coating resin technology was developed. This transparent coating, currently in the trial phase prevents both, film shrinkage and film sticking to heat seal bars during FFS. The new PE stand-up pouch is a viable solution to replace PET or PA laminates in incumbent solutions.  

Sustainable foamed packaging solutions: Food tray from IP Verpackung and foam blow-molded bottle from SABIC. The tray can help reduce plastic packaging waste by moving from a single-use PS product to a reusable and recyclable SABIC® PP-UMS resin, a new generation of high-melt strength, foamable PP solutions. The bottle is made of SABIC HDPE with chemical and mechanical recycled content from our TRUCIRCLE portfolio, with good impact strength and drop performance. Potential of up to 25 per cent weight saving. 

Bio-based feedstock solutions

SABIC's certified renewable solutions are ISCC PLUS mass balance accredited and they do not compete with human food or animal feed production.

Cosmetics refill container: The new refill containers have been designed for use with STELLA Alter-Care Serum and Restore Cream. They feature three SABIC polyolefin resins with a combined mass-balanced certified renewable feedstock content of up to 90 per cent and meet with the vegan branding of the cosmetics manufacturer. Certified renewable, impact resistant SABIC HDPE was selected for the injection moulded container heads by Texen, the container bodies made from certified renewable SABIC® LLDPE by Leygatech, a leading manufacturer of barrier and multi-layer films, supplies a film and flip top closures injection molded by Texen in certified renewable SABIC PP polymer complete the packaging. Plant-based bio-based feedstock of SABIC materials supports vegan branding of customers. 

Increasing circularity

SABIC's certified circular polymers are based on a mass balance accounting approach according to ISCC PLUS, validating the feedstock content from advanced chemical recycling of mixed plastic waste and contributing to the reduction of virgin plastic consumption.  

Retort pouches for wet pet food: SABIC, Mars Petcare and Huhtamaki successfully collaborated in the development of an innovative multi-layer film structure for SHEBA® brand cat food pouches using certified circular PP. The phthalate-free and gel-controlled film layer reduces the use of virgin plastic by around 25 per cent. 

Market-first mono-material pasta packaging with PCR: Italian pasta maker Garofalo has launched the first pasta bags using a basic flexible BOPP film for a mono-material packaging solution that can easily be recycled in existing PP waste streams. The BOPP film is made with post-consumer recycle (PCR) material derived from advanced recycling and accounts for 30 per cent of PCR in the structure.   

Closing the loop & reuse of ocean-bound plastic  

One of the biggest challenges in achieving circularity is to implement sustainable solutions that will effectively close the loop of plastic packaging within one and the same packaging application segment. The vast amount of ocean-bound plastic litter in coastal areas requires fast action to prevent it from polluting our oceans and return it into the material stream of new packaging products. 

KIND® Healthy snack bar wrappers: SABIC joined forces with MARS and Landbell in a closed-loop project on KIND's healthy snack bar wrappers. Advanced recycling of mixed post-consumer plastics is used to produce food-contact-approved certified circular PP and converted into a flexible BOPP packaging structure, facilitating end-of-life recycling in existing collection and conversion operations without compromising quality and processability.  

Mess-free, portionable and microwavable Heinz Beanz Snap Pots: In an innovative recycling trial designed to close the loop on soft plastic food packaging in the UK, Heinz, Tesco, Berry Global and SABIC have teamed up to create a certified circular PP solution for Heinz Beanz Snap Pots. Soft plastic packaging waste is returned by consumers to collection points at Tesco stores and then converted in an anaerobic process to oil. SABIC uses the oil in the production of new PP resin, from which Berry Global manufactures Snap Pots for filling with Beanz and delivery to Tesco. The new tubs contain 39 per cent of certified circular SABIC PP. 

Frozen seafood packaging solution from ocean-bound plastics: Coldwater Prawns of Norway, SABIC and Estiko Group have developed a multi-layer packaging film with 60 per cent mass-balanced ocean-bound plastic (OBP) content. This TRUCIRCLE project is designed to reuse post-consumer plastic waste recovered from areas up to 50 km inland. The sustainable solution ensures the high mechanical and aesthetic properties expected from premium Coldwater prawns packaging.   

Also on display, a frozen seafood packaging bag from Nueva Pescanova Group using SABIC's certified circular PE made with OBP feedstock. The solution was designed in collaboration with manufacturer of flexible film products, Polivouga and the brand owner Nueva Pescanova Group, who specialise in products like frozen seafood, making it a circular product. 

Consumer appeal & convenience  

Beyond sustainability, consumers expect advanced new packaging products to also provide a maximum aesthetic appeal and in-use convenience.  

Tea capsules: Melitta Single Portions is using a food-grade SABIC® QRYSTAL PP copolymer with certified feedstock from recycled used plastic waste. The transparent, aesthetic and lightweight capsules support up to 80 per cent reduction of fossil depletion.  

Yoghurt cups: SABIC and NETSTAL are collaborating to transfer the technology of injection compression molding (ICM) to the thin-wall packaging market. ICM opens significant opportunities for down-gauging at lower injection pressures, reduced clamp forces and shorter cycle times. 

Transportation packaging solutions  

In most developed global supply chains, an estimated 4 per cent of transported goods are damaged in some form during transport. For brand owners, manufacturers and carriers to minimize their losses due to this problem, materials used in transport packaging must provide enhanced protection and load stability.  

Stretch hoods with up to 30 per cent PCR: SABIC's mono-PE stretch hood solution uses a blend of COHERE™ (POP) and SUPEER™ (mLLDPE) resins to achieve the right balance of stretchability, stiffness and holding force and results in carbon emissions reduction potential of about 20 per cent.  

Collation shrink film with enhanced visual appearance: Sustainable shrink films designed for recycling and reduced use of virgin feedstock must maintain stringent food packaging standards with no compromise in transparency and gloss. SABIC has developed collation shrink film solutions based on SABIC LDPE and SUPEER mLLDPE resin grades that combine ease of processing, optimal shrinkage, high holding force and puncture resistance with excellent surface gloss and transparency.  

Heavy-duty bags with mechanically recycled feedstock: In a Bag2Bag closed-loop collaboration initiative with Fardem Packaging, 50 per cent of the bag film was changed over to PCR, resulting in a carbon footprint reduction of about 35 per cent vs. traditional structures. 

Industrial packaging solutions  

SABIC also offers a broad portfolio of sustainable materials for non-food industrial packaging applications, including intermediate bulk containers, jerry cans and tight and open-head drums from  5 L up to 1,000 L.  

Blow molded bottles for food: Sustainable bottles used for food packaging require high purity and perfect organoleptic, while also providing a lightweight for reduced material consumption and lower transportation costs. SABIC HDPE food-contact polymers show good flow and strong environmental stress cracking resistance (ESCR), which opens down-gauging opportunities without compromising top load performance. 

Blow molded bottles for home care and industrial chemicals (HIC): With similar properties as their food-grade counterparts, SABIC's HDPE blow-molding resins for HIC packaging applications can be supplied as certified circular solutions with up to 50 per cent PCR. 

Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBC) for repeated use: The market segment of IBCs, jerry cans and head drums is driven by down-gauging for light weight while maintaining good processability, ESCR, stiffness and impact strength.