Packaging Trends in Polyolefins –

A Look into the Future

12th Feb 2015

Kien-Mun Tang
Milliken Asia Pte Ltd
Agenda

• Classifications of Packaging
• Packaging Materials
• Milliken’s Role in Packaging Improvements
• Applications Examples of Clarified and Nucleated Polypropylene in
Packaging
• A Word on Other Recent Plastics Packaging Innovations
• Going Forward

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Classifications of Packaging

Packaging

Primary Secondary Tertiary

 Single entity, not permanent  Group Packaging  Transport packaging

 Designs  Protection  Durability
 Functional & performance  Low costs  Repeat use
 Glass, Metal, Plastics,  Metal, plastics,  Low weight
Paper cardboard  Plastics, wood

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A Review of Packaging Materials
Material Advantages Disadvantages Uses
• variety of plastics
• not as barrier proof as
• could be biodegradable • pharma & medical
metals/glass
Plastics • cost effective packaging
• impact on
• ease of processing • take-away containers
environment
• rigid to flexible packaging
• heat-resistant
• recyclable & reusable • heavy • baby foods
Glass • rigid • fragile • salad cream
• cost effective • limited shapes • pepper containers
• excellent barrier
• sharp edges
• recyclable
• may rust
• can be made lightweight • canned foods
Metal • need special coating
• excellent barrier • bottle caps
for food contact
• heat resistant
• opaque packaging
• easily printed • naturally not water
• easiest to make resistant
• fruit-juice containers
• biodegradable • low tolerance to
Card/paper • egg boxes
• recyclable damage
• carton boxes
• lightweight • minimal contents
• affordable protection
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Single Serve Containers & Packaging

Source:www.scuolacascia.it/attivita/clil2/webquest/resources/energy%20kids%20page/www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/saving/recycling/solidwast
e/sourcereduction.html
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 Types of Plastics Used in Packaging

PET – Polyethylene terephthalate

EBM & ISBM bottles, trays, food containers, packaging sheets, blister packs, shrink
wraps

PE – Polyethylene
EBM bottles, lids, as a sealing layer in trays, bags and thin flexible film in pouches and
stretch wrap

PP – Polypropylene
EBM & ISBM bottles, meat trays, food containers, bags and cast films

PS – Polystyrene
Yoghurt pots, EPS foams and some vegetable punnets

PVC – Polyvinyl Chloride

Trays, EBM bottles, flexible packaging and pots

PA – Polyamide
Used as parts within trigger sprays and as a flexible film for barrier properties

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PP for Better Sustainability
A sustainable solution & low carbon footprint material

Low carbon
High energy
footprint
Polypropylene recovery
during
is recyclable values for
production of
polypropylene
the granulate

Energy to produce
50
Energy Recovery
41.8 60
GJ/1000 kg Resin

40 34.7 46.5 46.4

33.3 50 41.9

MJ/ kg Resin
30 27.3 27.6
40
30 24.7
20 18.3
20
10
10
0 0
PP HDPE PET PS PVC PP HDPE PET PS PVC
©2011 Milliken & Company Source:
Confidential • Cradle-to-Gate Life Cycle Inventory report, prepared for ACC by Franklin Associates, 07/10
Milliken’s Role in Packaging Improvements
A History of Milliken Innovations for Polyolefins

State-of-the-Art Hypernucleator
Clarifier HPN-68L®
Millad®3988 Cleartint ®
for colorants HPN-20E®
Millad®3905 Transparent PP HPN210M®
for Nucleator Reinforcing Nucleator
Millad®3940 Packaging cPP for PE & PP HPR803i for PE

1980’s 1990’s 2000’s 2010 2015

Syringe
market Global growth of cPP in Step-change
Houseware Clarification for PP
develops TWIM, EBM and totes Break-through
market Millad NX8000
growth Innovation
for clear PP
Packaging :
2-steps ISBM

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Millad® NX8000 PP Clarifier
Approaching the look of transparent plastics with Polypropylene

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NX8000-Clarified PP vs Other Plastics

Key – PP is Superior +++, Much Better ++, Better +, Worse  , Much Worse 

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Applications Examples of Clarified and
Nucleated Polyolefins in Packaging
Example 1 : TF Food Packaging

Microwave Application
• The highest possible clarity PP, as good as OPS is needed
• High heat resistance is needed for microwave reheating use (1-6
Market Requirements

min)
• Good stiffness before and after heating
• Cost advantage
• More sustainable packaging with lower weight
Non-microwave Application
• The highest possible clarity packaging
• Good sealing & less peeling property
• Cost competitiveness
• Recyclability advantage over PET/PE tray

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PP vs PET Clamshells
PP clarified with Millad NX 8000 is lighter than PET

Sheet thickness: Sheet thickness:

470 µm 600 µm
Weight : 17.4 g Weight : 14.3 g

PET PP clarified with

Millad NX 8000

1 kg PET = 18 % weight 1 kg PP =
57 containers reduction 70 containers
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Thermoformed Plastics Comparison

Performance OPS APET NX UC Inferior Remark

PP cPP
Haze (<2.5 %) Clarity is the key for IMR
= = = -
Cost The lowest cost can be
- = + + achieved with clarified PP
Heat Resistance For microwave reheating
(>100°C) = -- + +
Sealing For packed food tray
property = - + +
Stiffness before Can be overcome with
heating + = - - design and increase wall
thickness
Stiffness after Important for microwave
heating - -- = = reheating
Sustainability Low weight advantage,
- = + + Low carbon footprint and
ease of recylability

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Example 2a : Drink Cups
Replacement of PET
Density (kg/m³)
1600
1300 1350
1400
1200 1040
900 950
1000
800
600
400
200
0
PP HDPE PS PVC PET

1 kg material
• 64 Cups in PET

• 79 Cups in PP

19 % weight
reduction for PP
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Example 2b : Dome Lids
PP lids are 33% thicker but 21% lighter than comparable PET lids.
Material Thickness (mm)
0.4
0.31
0.3 0.24
0.2

0.1
PET PP
0
PP PET Dome Cold Drink
Cup Lids
Material weight (g)
5
4.08
4
3.22
Why does this matter?
3
1 kg PET = 245 lids
2 1 kg PP = 311 lids
1

0
©2011 Milliken & Company PP PET Remark : The data is based on one to one comparison parts.
Confidential
 Example 3 : Clear Bottles
• Inherent Benefits
- Heat resistance
Haze (%) - Lowest density
- No BPA concerns
- Processability
30
- Chemical resistance/ESCR
- Excellent clarity
- Surface replication
20 EBM - Surface gloss
IBM
10 ISBM • Sustainability
1 stage - Lower weight
ISBM 2 stage - Low energy consumption
0 - Easy to recycle
- #5 for recycling logo vs #7

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 Example 4 : Glass Replacement

• Application
- Injection Molded Cosmetic Jar
- Mimic the look of frosted glass
• Benefits
- Lightweight
- Less fragile & safer
- Easier to process

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Example 5 : Dry Foods/Corn Flakes
Metal Waxed Paper HDPE Film
Weight (g/cc) 2.5 0.8 0.95
Sealability Excellent Acceptable Excellent
Barrier Excellent Very Good Good
Packaging Speed High Slow Moderate
Costs High Low Low

• Barrier improvement • Increased Tc

- 25 – 70% lower transmission rates in HDPE and - Faster freeze-off / increased
LLDPE (all permeants) output
• Optics improvement • Physical Properties
- Reduction in LLDPE haze up to 40% - Higher MD and TD modulus with
- Improvement in HDPE clarity and haze slight to no loss in tear and impact
- Higher gloss in both HDPE and LLDPE properties

Al Foil HDPE

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Example 6 : Toothpaste Tubes

• Application
- Co-ex Toothpaste Tube
• Film Construction
- 150um thick
- LLDPE/LLDPE/tie/EVOH/tie/LLDPE/mLLDPE

• Barrier improvement
- 15% improvement in MVTR & OTR
• Optics improvement
- 40% improvement in clarity
- Better gloss

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Example 7 : Transport Packaging

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Other Plastic Packaging Innovations

• Plant Bottle
• Plastic Beer Bottles
• IMD Process
• 3D Process

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PlantBottle…a Coca-Cola Initiative

Component A
70%
PET PET
resin Bottle
Component B
30%

Component A
70%
PET PET
resin Bottle
Plant Based Component B
Ethanol
Material 30%

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 3D Printed Packaging

http://www.blog.nus.edu.sg

“For surprising sensations Alcan Packaging

Beauty offers new embossed and 3-D
printed tubes. Embossed tubes are
laminated with an incredible tactile and
visual effect; 3D print is a new technique
for highlighting selected components of
design such as logo or picture”
Credit : Anita’s Balm

http://www.packagingdesignarchive.org/archive
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Going Forward

• Emphasis on ‘More-for-Less’
• Proliferation of environmentally friendly materials
• Inter-material replacement efforts
• Advent of new process
• Packaging efficiency
• Revoluntionary designs

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Confidential