Converter from Germany: PE/PE mono-material for the PPWR without loss of packaging performance

A flexible packaging converter from Germany had to give an FMCG customer a PE/PE mono-material instead of a PET/PE laminate, but standard sealant film did not seal stably on MDO PE. NEX-LAM LS film, developed in 3 weeks, made the switch to mono-material possible without loss of packaging performance.

01 Customer

Germany. A flexible packaging converter for FMCG customers. Its FMCG end customer had to switch to mono-materials.

02 Challenge

The existing PET/PE laminate is not recyclable. The target MDO PE/PE structure was ready, but standard sealant film did not seal stably on it.

Without a stable seal, the converter could not promise its customer the same line output.

03 Solution

• Film: NEX-LAM LS adapted to MDO PE.
• Seal: seal initiation at 90 °C and a wide hot tack window.
• Development: custom development in 3 weeks, 5 test iterations.
• Structure: a final 5-layer structure with a controlled coefficient of friction (COF).

04 Results

Before and after

Pack structure	PET/PE laminate, not recyclable → PE/PE mono-material
Packaging performance	no loss
Price of the mono laminate	approx. +18% vs standard
New customers for the converter	8 FMCG customers in 6 months
Position in the segment	first with a ready PE/PE solution, approx. 12 months ahead

05 What this means for you

The PPWR is not a materials problem but a process problem: mono-PE can be recycled, but it still has to seal on your machine. If you are testing PE/PE structures and losing output at the seal, start with the sealant film, not the machine.