Manchester-based packaging manufacturer Duo has developed a new flexible packaging film enhanced with graphene. By integrating this nanomaterial, the company aims to significantly improve the mechanical properties of thin-gauge films, allowing for substantial material reduction without compromising on tear resistance or tensile strength.
This development addresses a key challenge for packaging converters: downgauging. Traditional downgauging often leads to weaker packaging, increasing the risk of damage during transit. By incorporating graphene, the manufacturer claims the film can be made much thinner while maintaining high performance, effectively reducing the overall volume of polymer required per application and lowering the associated carbon footprint.
For UK packaging converters, this innovation offers a potential route to reduce material costs and minimise exposure to the UK Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT), provided the films can also incorporate high levels of recycled content. However, the introduction of advanced nanomaterials presents a complex landscape for UK and Turkish recyclers.
As these next-generation flexible films enter the waste stream, recyclers must assess how graphene additives impact standard mechanical recycling processes. While downgauging reduces plastic use at the source, composite or enhanced polymers can sometimes complicate optical sorting and melt filtration. Turkish recyclers, who process significant volumes of imported UK commercial film waste, will need reassurance that these materials will not degrade the quality of recycled low-density polyethylene (rLDPE) pellets or affect extruder performance.
The practical takeaway for the industry is the necessity of proactive testing. Packaging converters looking to adopt graphene-enhanced films must work closely with waste managers and reprocessors to verify that these materials can be successfully sorted and recycled within existing infrastructure, ensuring that upstream carbon savings do not inadvertently compromise downstream circularity.
