Flexible Packaging Industry Research Articles

Development and redesign of flexible packaging under sustainability criteria

The circular economy and sustainable development are critical issues today, given the growing environmental pollution caused by solid waste, especially plastics. Furthermore, plastic waste has raised significant social concerns and alerted plastic product designers. Therefore, developing or redesigning plastic products in the flexible packaging industry is imperative to ensure their recyclability at the end of their life cycle. It is necessary to ensure that the mechanical and barrier properties of the ecological plastic packaging remain intact for specific uses. The current study aims to redesign flexible packaging, focusing on providing the mechanical and barrier properties of the packaging suitable for food industry applications, thus offering a solution through new design proposals that allow the development of sustainable and flexible packaging, emphasizing material reduction and recyclability. This study assessed and compared the mechanical properties of the proposed packaging with those of existing products. The results demonstrated the feasibility of reducing plastic film thickness or eliminating layers in a tri-laminated structure and transitioning to a bi-laminated structure. This adjustment did not compromise the mechanical and barrier properties; the oxygen barrier remained at 35.39 cc/m2*day, and the humidity stood at 0.57 mg/m2*day. This investigation led to a 26.48% reduction in the raw material consumption of laminated coils and 12.68% in Doypack type packaging used in food applications. Consequently, the decreased material usage and adoption of monomaterial structures significantly minimized the environmental impact of plastic waste contamination due to the possibility of mechanically recycling the final product.

Sustainable materials in the flexible packaging industry – an overview

The article presents the latest solutions for sustainable flexible packaging materials, covering articles published in 2017–2022. Discussed, among others bio-based, biodegradable, and recycled polymers, and paper, which are slowly being adopted by the industry and are expected to replace traditional packaging materials from non-renewable sources in the coming years.

The effect of different clay types on the barrier properties of PLA/PBAT/clay bio-nanocomposite packaging films

The aim of this study was to develop alternative bio-nanocomposite film to Polyethylene (PE) film from poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) blends and different clay types for flexible packaging industry. Poly(lactic acid)/poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PLA/PBAT) bio-blend films were prepared by using a chain extender. Bio-nanocomposite films were processed on a twin-screw extrusion and blown film extruder by wt.%3 loading the different montmorillonite (MMT), Sepiolite, and Bentonite types in presence of a polymeric epoxy-based chain extender plasticizer (CE; Joncryl® ADR 4468). All films were characterized in terms of thermal, chemically, physically, optical, mechanical, sealing and barrier properties. In conclusion, all analyzing results showed good agreement with PLA/PBAT in the presence of a polymeric epoxy-based chain extender. The main outcome of adding clay types to PLA/PBAT bio-blends is to obtain eco-friendly, improved barrier properties compared to PE film structure, which has inherently poor oxygen permeability. As a result of all studies, the closest alternative bio-blend recipes to PE film structure with improved barrier properties were obtained with composite of wt.%25 PLA + %75 PBAT in the presence of wt.%1 plasticizer and %3 High Purity Sepiolite clay (HPS).

Green-lean-six sigma practices and supporting factors for transitioning towards circular economy: A natural resource and intellectual capital-based view

Conservation of natural resources has a critical role in promoting sustainable development. However, emerging evidence suggests that the overexploitation of natural resources and inadequate concern for environmental sustainability by manufacturing firms in recent times have posed a significant threat to ecosystem services and exacerbated the ongoing climate change crisis. In this regard, Green-lean-six sigma (GLSS) is recognized as an emerging strategy to effectively address pressing environmental issues and conserve natural resources in manufacturing operations. While prior studies have documented the operational and environmental benefits of this strategy, there is a paucity of empirical research examining the role of the GLSS approach in fostering a circular economy in the manufacturing industry. Against this backdrop, this study aims to investigate the role of GLSS practices and factors supporting the circular economy in the flexible packaging (FP) industry. In particular, this process industry is selected as it faces several circular economy-related issues including natural resource depletion, lack of recycling, solid waste generation, air pollution, energy footprints, and marine pollution. A multiple-case study approach is used to obtain data through semi-structured interviews with senior corporate managers in New Zealand FP industry. Further, to corroborate the research findings, we have interviewed key informants including lean six sigma and environmental consultants. Building on the natural resource-based view (NRBV) and intellectual capital-based view (ICBV), our analysis reveals that GLSS practices related to waste elimination, pollution reduction, resource circulation, and environmental conservation enable FP manufacturing firms to transit towards the circular economy. The findings further demonstrate that supporting factors including strategic, technical, human resource, and external stakeholders contribute to GLSS adoption in promoting the circular economy concept. We argue that these findings can assist academia, practitioners, and policymakers in understanding the significance of GLSS practices and supporting factors for enabling circular economy in the process industry.

SISTEM JAMINAN KEAMANAN PANGAN BERDASARKAN FSSC 22000 versi 5.1 / ISO TS 22002-4 PADA PROSES PRINTING DI INDUSTRI FLEXIBLE PACKAGING

A HACCP analysis of the printing process at one of the process steps in the Flexible packaging industry has been carried out as a hazard analysis step to determine the hazards that need to be controlled. The initial steps for making a flow chart have been carried out, which includes a flow chart of the printing process, which is the object of research. As per the ISO 22000 clauses that all food safety hazards that may occur related to the type of product, type of process, and existing process facilities are identified and recorded, a flowchart for the printing process is made in detail, including input, process, and output. This is to avoid product types, process types, and process facilities that can be overlooked during the hazard analysis process. In the HACCP analysis of the printing process, each food safety hazard has been identified and the acceptable level of the hazard has been determined. The results of the HACCP analysis on the printing process in this study have identified several process stages, from the input process to the output process. All of these stages have been analyzed for all hazards or sources of hazards, level of acceptance, hazard assessment, linkages with regulations or legislation, and determination of actions to prevent, reduce, or eliminate hazards. If the hazard assessment results in a "high" risk value and/or is related to regulations or legislation, then further analysis is carried out to determine whether a CCP is required or not. By carrying out a HACCP analysis of the printing process for the manufacture of flexible packaging, it is possible to determine the OPRP and CCP for the process, so that food safety guarantees in this process can be controlled and realized. The results of the validation process by monitoring the results of hazard measurements on residual solvent as a hazard from CCPs that have been determined in the printing process have shown that the process is under control and capable. The main findings in this study cannot be separated from the strong pillar support of GMP implementation, which is a rule or requirement from ISO/TS 22002-4 and FSSC requirements for the food packaging industry.

Technology development as a factor of stability in a crisis and a point of growth

JSC “Conflex SPb” is one of the leaders in the flexible roll packaging industry. The company is equipped with equipment that allows for a full cycle of production of flexible packaging materials. In the conditions of market turbulence, Conflex formulates its position as follows: technology development as a factor of stability in a crisis and a point of growth. The author defines three directions of countering the conditions that have arisen: expanding the supplier base, developing production, technological development of new compositions from new materials using all technical and technological capabilities.

Sustainability of Flexible Packaging Industry across the Globe through the Eyes of Green/Sustainable Chemistry

Sustainability of Flexible Packaging Industry across the Globe through the Eyes of Green/Sustainable Chemistry

UTICAJ DISRUPCIJA U LANCU SNABDEVANJA UNUTAR INDUSTRIJE FLEKSIBILNE AMBALAŽE UZROKOVANIH PANDEMIJOM VIRUSA COVID-19

In the packaging industry, disruptions occurring in the supply chain can impact all the segments and have huge consequences on the operations conducted by the distributors. We are witnesses of an unprecedented crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It has influenced all layers of the society and forced us to make changes and adjustments to our every-day routine, regulations, economy. Disruptions can undermine the stability of the supply chain, causing business losses. Therefore, identifying the impact of different disruptions on the supply chain is crucial. Here, a timely and quick reaction is of great importance. The current pandemic has caused many disruptions in the industry and has impacted all parts of the supply chains in ways that have not been yet recorded, therefore making it even harder for the companies to respond to new challenges. The changes have not skipped the packaging industry, forcing the manufacturers to rethink their strategies and the consumers to change their views of a safe and reliable product. With the economic expansion, the demand for flexible packaging and has been growing. There are many advantages to flexible packaging. Besides the fact that it creates less environmental impact, it also requires fewer resources compared to traditional packaging production. Disruptions in the supply chains of the flexible packaging industry are one of the major economic concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic, and therefore the topic of this paper. Since the companies in the industry are in desperate need for a new approach regarding risk management and building business resilience, some strategies for overcoming the challenges of the crisis on the flexible packaging market have been presented here.

KPIs for Operational Performance Assessment in Flexible Packaging Industry

The flexible packaging industry has registered a significant growth over the last years, especially due to rising demand from healthcare, automotive, construction, food, beverage, and retail industries. It is essential for the production plants to regularly assess their ability to achieve performance target objectives and, at the same time, to compare their performance with that of factories from the same industry. By combining qualitative and quantitative research, this study proposes a set of thirty-two key performance indicators (KPIs), grouped into six activity areas, believed to be adequate to the flexible packaging industry, for assessing the operational performance. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method was employed to obtain the weights of the KPIs and to select the best manufacturing facility from a leading flexible packaging company in line with the opinions of experts that activate in this field. The results indicated that the main aspects considered by experts for assessing manufacturing plants operational performance were financial issues followed by production, customers contentment, quality, employee satisfaction and environmental protection. The proposed practical framework for assessing the operational performance along with the detailed information obtained in the paper are expected to represent important benchmarks for stakeholders involved in the decision-making process for flexible packaging industry.

Cellulose Nanocrystals and Corn Zein Oxygen and Water Vapor Barrier Biocomposite Films.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) are well-suited to the preparation of biocomposite films and packaging material due to its abundance, renewability, biodegradability, and favorable film-forming capacity. In this study, different CNC and corn zein (CZ) composite films were prepared by adding CZ to the CNC suspension prior to drying, in order to change internal structure of resulting films. Films were developed to examine their performance as an alternative water vapor and oxygen-barrier for flexible packaging industry. Water vapor permeability (WVP) and oxygen transmission rate (OTR) of the biocomposite films decreased significantly in a specific ratio between CNC and CZ combined with 1,2,3,4-butane tetracarboxylic acid (BTCA), a nontoxic cross linker. In addition to the improved barrier properties, the incorporation of CZ benefitted the flexibility and thermal stability of the CNC/CZ composite films. The toughness increased by 358%, and Young’s modulus decreased by 32% compared with the pristine CNC film. The maximum degradation temperature increased by 26 °C, compared with that of CNC film. These results can be attributed to the incorporation of a hydrophobic protein into the matrix creating hydrophobic interactions among the biocomposite components. SEM and AFM analysis indicated that CZ could significantly affect the CNC arrangement, and the film surface topography, due to the mechanical bundling and physical adsorption effect of CZ to CNC. The presented results indicate that CNC/CZ biocomposite films may find applications in packaging, and in multi-functionalization materials.

High-barrier polyimide containing fluorenol moiety: Gas barrier properties and molecular simulations

An intrinsic high-barrier polyimide (9-OH-FPPI) was prepared through the polycondensation reaction of pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) with a novel diamine (9-OH-FPDA) containing fluorenol moiety. The synthesized polyimide displays superior barrier performances, possessing water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) and oxygen transmission rate (OTR) low to 1.64 g·m−2·day−1 and 0.66 cm3·m−2·day−1, respectively. Meanwhile, 9-OH-FPPI also demonstrates high thermal stability with a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 410 °C, 5% weight-loss temperature (Td5%) of 577 °C under N2 and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of 5.65 ppm/K. A detailed molecular simulation study as well as positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) and wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) analysis have been carried out to reveal the barrier mechanism. The results reveal that the introduction of fluorenol moiety not only enhances the rigidity and regularity of polymer backbone, but also improves the interchain cohesion of PI matrix, which in turn lead to high crystallinity, low free volume and poor chains mobility of 9-OH-FPPI. The high crystallinity and low free volume decrease the diffusion and solubility of gases in polyimide matrix. In addition, the poor chains mobility further suppresses the gases diffusion. Simultaneous reductions of gases diffusion and solubility promote the barrier properties of 9-OH-FPPI. The as-synthesized polyimide exhibits wide application prospects in the flexible electronic packaging industry.

Sustainable flexible flow shop scheduling optimization in flexible packaging industry using genetic algorithm

Flexible flow shop (FFS) scheduling optimization process has a high level of complexity and categorized as an NP-hard problem. X Co is a flexible packaging manufacturer that scheduled FFS manually with a low sustainability level. The objective of this research is to optimize FFS scheduling in X Co using Genetic Algorithm (GA) method to increase the sustainability level and measure its performance. The sustainability parameters contain three main aspects of sustainability. In this optimization process, makespan minimization used as the objective function, and elitism is applied in the GA method to make sure the makespan value is getting smaller in each generation. The result shows an increment of sustainability level in all parameters. Makespan value reduction by 135 hours, zero lateness, idle time reduction by 1755 (hour*machine), machine utility improvement by 5.58%, electricity consumption reduction by 23664 kWh which converted into a reduction of 16731 KgCO2e greenhouse gas, and also increase employee productivity as much as 0.066 jobs/shift. This research shows an optimal result with a higher level of sustainability in the implementation of optimization on FFS scheduling at X Co.

Sense and Flexibility

Plastics EngineeringVolume 76, Issue 4 p. 24-29 Cover Story Sense and Flexibility The use of postconsumer resins could be earthshattering for the flexible packaging industry Geoff Giordano, Geoff GiordanoSearch for more papers by this author Geoff Giordano, Geoff GiordanoSearch for more papers by this author First published: 07 April 2020 https://doi.org/10.1002/peng.20288Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume76, Issue4April 2020Pages 24-29 RelatedInformation

Effects of coexistence of marketing and operations on product innovation performance

Abstract: The present study aimed at investigating the impact of the coexistence of marketing and operations on product innovation performance in the flexible plastic packaging industry in Brazil. To this end, the study was conducted in two stages: one, exploratory and qualitative, and the other, descriptive and quantitative. In the first stage, a construct was chosen and validated to identify the effect of integrating the functions of innovation and develop an instrument for data collection. In the second stage, we defined the research population, collected data, and performed statistical analysis of the results. To measure the relationship of marketing and operations, we used a theoretical construct which investigates the level of integration in the four phases of the new product development process and innovation performance, considering both financial and non-financial dimensions. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and statistically analyzed through linear regression and correlations between variables. The results showed that the integration of these areas has a positive and significant impact on the success of innovation, indicating that information-sharing in the initial and final stages of the product innovation process is a driver for achieving better performance. One of the main findings of this study is that, in isolation, the field of marketing does not perceive the impact of the integration of functions on innovation.

Business to Business Relationship Management in Flexible Packaging Industry of Bangladesh

Business to Business Relationship Management in Flexible Packaging Industry of Bangladesh

A multi-criteria decision making approach for supplier selection in the flexible packaging industry

The supplier selection problem represents one of the most important components of the supply chain management. This article presents a multiple criteria decision making analysis contributing to the selection of the most convenient supplier in the flexible packaging industry. Due to the fact that in today's supply chain management, the performance of potential suppliers is evaluated against multiple criteria rather than taking into account only the cost factor, the appropriate criteria in the supplier selection have been identified, and the considered variants are assessed, considering the decision maker’s preferences and existing constraints. The variants are ranked in terms of their suitability for selecting a supplier with the use of Electre III method. The results obtained from the simulation experiment suggest that this methodology is a feasible decision support model.

Green Technology for Surface Treatments of Aluminium Foil for Flexible Packaging

In the flexible food packaging industry, producers of laminated aluminium predominantly use a "rinse" technology for surface treatments characterized by very bulky machinery. The Laminazione Sottile Group togehther with the University of Naples Federico II and the gscsg have developed and characterized a new, extremely simplified, process that provides a "no rinse" treatment on aluminium alloy AA8079Y. In addition, this treatment is chromium free, because chromium has been replaced by zirconium salts. The characteristics of resistance have been verified by using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and cathodic delamination tests. Results obtained show that the "no rinse" treatment with zirconium salts produces an effective protective effect.

Impact of Production and Conversion Processes on the Carbon Footprint of Flexible Plastic Films

The present study aimed to identify and compare the carbon footprint associated with polyolefin films (linear low‐density polyethylene, high‐density polyethylene and polypropylene), with the idea of developing a simple and affordable empirical method to assist the flexible packaging industry, notably small and medium‐sized enterprises, in estimating the carbon footprint of different products or of new products at the early stage of development. It was found that the total global warming potential (GWP) of the studied films increased 19–67% during processing when compared with the GWP embodied in plastic resins. This indicated that film production processes greatly contribute to the carbon footprint of plastic films. The relative impact of the film‐making process on the total GWP of films is largely a function of plastic type, in particular, its melting point. Printing and lamination processes also contribute significantly to the total GWP of films, with the major factor being electricity use.The constant k was derived to indicate the influences of plastic types and manufacturing processes on the total GWP of films and to help calculate the carbon footprint of polyolefin films for which the production process and weight are known. Moreover, the GWP of each studied film was normalized with respect to film thickness and area. This information would be useful for packaging manufacturers and users to calculate the carbon footprint of multilayer films. The proposed empirical model showed satisfactory results, as the difference was less than 10% when compared with the results obtained from life cycle assessment studies. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Practical approach in surface modification of biaxially oriented polypropylene films for gravure printability

Abstract Biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film is one of the most popularly used materials for the gravure printing process in flexible packaging industry. The skin layers of BOPP film were associated with 3–6 weight % of propylene–ethylene copolymer. These films were completely biaxial-oriented by sequential stretching process after which the film surfaces were subjected to corona treatment integrated in the production line. The FT-IR results exhibited that polar functional groups as carbonyl molecules were established on the corona-treated BOPP film. The contact angles of these BOPP films were measured; the surface free energies (SFE) were then calculated. AFM topographical images also agreed well with the SFE which increased as the contents of propylene–ethylene copolymer increased. An approximated 20% increased SFE was obtained for the BOPP film that was associated with 6% propylene–ethylene copolymer. The printing quality on BOPP films was tested by light microscope which confirmed that the chromatic resolution of the printed images improved down to even more smaller groove sizes, 10 or 5 dot%. This improvement was also examined and found to correspond well with the interfacial tensions and work of adhesion between the inks and the modified BOPP films.

Crystallization Kinetics of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate with Modified Clay Nanocomposites

The interaction of nanoclays with polar polymers is receiving greater interest because the nanoclay significantly improves the thermal stability of the composites; however, since most polar polymers are bio-based, their mechanical properties and processing are of relatively lower standard than the oil-based polymers. We investigated a commercially relevant polymer with varying degree of polarity (poly(ethylene vinyl acetate) copolymer (EVA) with varying polarity due to varying vinyl acetate content (9, 18 and 28%)) and its interaction with organo-modified nanoclay filler (CloisiteR C15A and C30B). Specifically, we studied the crystallization kinetics and the relative dispersion of the nanoclays within the composites using modulated differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray Diffraction techniques. Transmission Electron Microscopy results show that clay platelets have increasing tendency to be dispersed as the polarity of the matrix is increased; however, the overall matrix crystallinity remains largely unmodified due to nanoclays but the overall morphology was significantly modified in a way that there was an increase in the ‘rigid-amorphous’ phase. Using Avrami kinetics, we demonstrate that nanoclays play a significant role in the mechanism of growth of crystals and crystalline distribution for EVA polymer and the analysis could be used to compare processing of composites for optimizing mechanical properties for a range of applications in the flexible packaging industry. [DOI: 10.1380/ejssnt.2012.79]