Clariant partners with Merck and SABIC to perfect laser marketing of flexible packaging

Clariant has teamed up with pigment supplier Merck and resin producer SABIC to develop laser-marking technology and materials to ease the recycling process for flexible PE packaging film.

The results of the collaboration with be presented at K 2019, demonstrating a complete supply-chain solution for laser-marking of films.

As the resin supplier, SABIC contributes the polymer technology that delivers the properties required in the film packaging.

Besides that, SABIC can supply a wide variety of polymers in in its portfolio as certified circular polymer, contributing even for to sustainable packaging.

Laser-sensitive Iriotec pigments and marketing expertise is provided by Merck, while Clariant has developed the additive masterbatch formulations for use in the film extrusion process.

Chun-Yip Pang, Global Product Manager for Additive Masterbatches at Clariant, said: “There is a growing demand for clean, high-quality recycled PE, and, while recycling rates for PE films continues to increase, there are still a number of challenges that need to be overcome.”

“This collaboration is focused on eliminating the printing ink used for tracking, shelf-life, bar codes, and other variable information that must be placed on almost any package on the market. Less ink means less contamination when it comes to recycling.”