Ineos (London; www.ineos.com) has announced a “multi-million euro” investment in a technology to develop simpler, more recyclable flexible packaging film. The investment, Ineos said, could help prevent around 1 mn t/y of waste from being sent to landfill in Europe alone.

Using multilayer, blown film technology with machine direction orientation (MDO) from Hosokawa Alpine (Augsburg, Germany; www.hosokawa-alpine.com), Ineos and partners plan to develop, design, and produce polyethylene and polypropylene-based flexible packaging film using fewer types of polymers, which is expected to increase the recyclability of the product. The MDO technology heats and stretches polymer films to improve their physical and barrier properties, enabling them to be used in different product applications.

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The new line is to be installed in Ineos’ R&D labs in Brussels in 2023, where the company will develop new, mono-material flexible film packaging products.