Metallurgy / Chemicals / Rubber & Plastics

In addition to raw material production, INEOS Olefins and Polymers Europe has announced a multi-million euro investment in a new blown film line. Hosokawa Alpine's inline multilayer film line will allow the company to work with processors, brands and retailers to develop simpler, more recyclable films for flexible packaging.

Current flexible packaging films offer many advantages in terms of cost and performance. However, their structure makes them inherently difficult to recycle: these films are composed of multiple layers of different materials, so they tend to end up in landfills or incineration. Ineos said reducing the amount of polymer used to produce these packaging films would not only improve their recyclability, but would also help prevent an estimated 1 million tonnes of waste from being sent to landfill each year.

As a result, INEOS will work with its partners to develop, design and produce PE and PP based flexible packaging films in a single material on the new line, applying its expertise in resin design to a new generation specifically designed for its flexible packaging products resin.

The new production line will be installed in the company's research and development laboratory in Brussels, Belgium in 2023. It is equipped with MDO technology, which improves its physical and barrier properties by heating and stretching the films, which enables them to be used in different product applications.

“While we know that flexible packaging films can help keep food fresh and safe, we also recognise and understand concerns about plastic waste,” said Rob Ingram, CEO of Inslex O&P North Europe. “This investment is further proof of our Committed to taking action across the value chain to create a more sustainable future."

Early examples of this commitment include Construction Project 1 (Europe's most environmentally sustainable cracker and claimed to be the largest investment in the European chemical industry in a generation) as well as substantial investment recovery and the development of the Recycl-IN family of materials. Ineos is also conducting a feasibility study to build a 100-megawatt water electrolysis plant at its Cologne plant to produce green hydrogen, which could save more than 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year, he said.