Bobst and Michelman target PPWR-ready recyclable barriers

As the European Union's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) moves closer to implementation, packaging suppliers are accelerating efforts to develop recyclable alternatives to conventional multi-material structures.

At Interpack 2026 in Duesseldorf, Bobst and Michelman outlined how their decade-long collaboration is evolving to address the next phase of recyclable high-barrier packaging development. The two companies presented advances in mono-material and paper-based barrier structures designed to meet both performance and recyclability requirements under the incoming regulation.

The PPWR will require all packaging placed on the EU market to meet minimum recyclability thresholds from 1 January 2030. While the regulation is European, its implications extend globally, particularly for converters and brand owners supplying export markets.

Thierry Van Migem, director of sales for the European region at Michelman, said collaboration across the packaging value chain is becoming increasingly important as companies seek to accelerate innovation and reduce development timelines. "By working together with different stakeholders in the value chain, we are able to accelerate innovation and reduce time to market," he said.

Historically, high-barrier flexible packaging has relied on complex multilayer structures that can be difficult to recycle. The challenge for material suppliers and converters has been to maintain product protection while improving recyclability. Nick Copeland, R&D director – barrier solutions at Bobst, said developing recyclable alternatives requires maintaining barrier performance across every stage of the converting process. "We needed to achieve the same barrier performance on more challenging substrates, while ensuring that performance was maintained through each conversion step," he said.

The partnership combines Michelman's expertise in water-based functional coatings with Bobst's coating, metallisation and converting technologies. One of the best-known outcomes of this collaboration is oneBARRIER PrimeCycle, a mono-material polyethylene structure developed by Bobst, Michelman and several industry partners. The solution combines MDO-PE film with ultra-thin primer coatings and vacuum metallisation to create a recyclable structure capable of delivering oxygen and moisture barrier performance comparable to conventional high-barrier packaging formats.

According to the companies, the unprinted structure contains up to 98% polyethylene and achieved a recyclability score of 98% in testing conducted by cyclos-HTP. Copeland noted that the functional layers involved are extremely thin, with metallised coatings measuring approximately one-thousandth the thickness of a human hair.

The companies also highlighted progress with oneBARRIER FibreCycle, a paper-based barrier structure developed in collaboration with UPM Specialty Papers. Unlike plastic films, paper provides limited inherent barrier protection, making coatings and metallisation critical to performance. "With paper, we are starting from a substrate that has virtually no functional barrier," Copeland said.

The structure combines oxygen barrier primers, vacuum metallisation and heat-sealable coatings to deliver both oxygen and moisture barrier properties while maintaining recyclability. Testing through CEPI and Western Michigan University protocols has demonstrated strong recyclability performance, according to the companies.

The collaboration is also exploring bio-based and plastic-free coating systems designed to support both recyclability and compostability requirements. Such developments are expected to become increasingly important as packaging regulations continue to evolve. Both companies emphasised that sustainability objectives cannot come at the expense of functionality. "We cannot compromise on performance," Van Migem said. "Brands still expect the same shelf life and product protection." Among the developments presented at interpack was the use of ultra-thin metallised films laminated to paper substrates to achieve barrier levels approaching those traditionally delivered by aluminium foil structures.

Beyond material development, Bobst and Michelman are also investing in application and scale-up support. The companies are making use of Bobst's Competence Centres and Michelman's Global Technology Centres to help customers evaluate, test and industrialise new packaging structures. As recyclability regulations become more demanding, suppliers increasingly recognise that material innovation alone will not be enough. Successful adoption will depend on collaboration across the value chain, from substrate manufacturers and coating suppliers to converters and brand owners. For converters serving export-oriented food and consumer goods markets, the transition towards recyclable high-barrier packaging is moving from a future consideration to an immediate operational requirement.