BOBST’s innovations for flexible packaging
- Published: February 07, 2024
BOBST continues to make significant progress in addressing the challenges faced by the flexible packaging industry. The company has recently reached key milestones for long-term R&D projects, which are giving further strength and substance to the company’s vision for the future of the packaging industry.
oneBARRIER and One Complete Solution address two important issues for the flexible packaging industry – the circular economy of packaging and the transformation of the production workflow.
Making recycle-ready flexible packaging a reality today with oneBARRIER
oneBARRIER is a family of new recycle-ready high-barrier substrates and sustainable solutions, developed by BOBST and its partners.
The validity and viability of the oneBARRIER substrates have been firmly established, having been tested by BOBST together with different ecosystems of leading industry partners. High and ultra-high barrier duplex and triplex substrates are now available for packaging designers to use as alternatives to non-recyclable metallized packaging.
oneBARRIER includes PrimeCycle solutions which are polymer-based mono-material substrates that are EVO and topcoat free, and FibreCycle solutions – fibre/paper-based mono-material structures coated with functional layers that can be recycled in the existing paper stream. Both are viable replacements for metallized polyester non-recyclable substrates.
oneBARRIER PrimeCycle PE AlOx mono-material has been certified by the German institute Cyclos-HTP. With a recyclability level of 98%, it exceeds industry guidelines, which is an extraordinary achievement for a high-barrier film.
The oneBARRIER FibreCycle AluBond structure has also been declared officially recyclable by Papiertechnische Stiftung (PTS), the German research institute of the paper industry, 4evergreen, Aticelca and Western Michigan University.
BOBST is working on other types of sustainable packaging, including compostable/bio-degradable solutions.
One complete solution: dedicated workflows for seamless quality production
Beyond the significant progress made in sustainable flexible packaging, BOBST also recently announced the launch of One Complete Solution. This comprises BOBST’s portfolio of end-to-end workflows for seamless quality production: from application management guidance and production of functional substrates through to pre-press set-up, printing, converting, quality control, and services. As the needs of converters become more unique due to diverse market factors, the One Complete Solution portfolio provides everything they require, tailored to their specific business model.
The One Complete Solution for oneBARRIER FibreCycle is a good example: it comprises the EXPERT K5 vacuum metallizer for deposition of AlOx or AluBond and the oneBARRIER MASTER COATER for the primer and top coating processes.
One Complete Solution includes other dedicated workflows that connect all steps, from production file and pre-press through to the reels of printed or laminated substrates. This has been made possible because BOBST is the only supplier in the industry that offers all such printing and converting technologies for the production of flexible packaging.
BOBST was recently recognized for its end-to-end solutions when receiving the sought-after Top Company to Watch Award at the Digital Packaging Summit 2023. The award was given after two leading European label printing companies – Geostick in Belgium and Germark in Spain – implemented All-in-One platforms from BOBST to optimize their production floor and explore new opportunities in a sustainable and productive way.
