Plastic Isn’t Disappearing, But It Is Being Re-engineered

Mono-PE and mono-PP structures are being developed to make flexible packaging more compatible with mechanical recycling. But replicating the performance of conventional multilayer laminates — and ensuring redesigned packs are actually recycled — remains a complex engineering challenge. Plastic packaging is not going away. Instead, one of the industry’s most significant design shifts is taking place inside the material itself, as complex flexible structures are increasingly redesigned around mono-polyethylene (mono-PE) and mono-polypropylene (mono-PP). The objective is not simply to use less plastic. It is to develop packaging that retains the strength, sealability and barrier performance needed to protect products while making the structure more compatible with recycling.

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