An Interview with Shreyas Pathak Lamination in Packaging

 In this Q&A, hear from Shreyas Pathak, a packaging expert, who discusses everything you need to know about lamination in packaging.

Laminated packaging, though widely used for its durability and ability to enhance product appearance, is not considered very eco-friendly. The primary challenge with laminated packaging is its recyclability. Typically, laminates consist of multiple layers of materials—such as plastic, aluminum, and paper—which are difficult to separate during the recycling process. This makes it harder to recycle the packaging in an efficient way, leading to a higher chance of it ending up in landfills.

Shreyas Pathak, a professional with over 3.5 years of experience in flexible packaging in the United States, emphasizes that while laminates serve practical purposes, the composite nature of the materials complicates their recyclability. As someone deeply involved in printing technology and flexible packaging, and holding an M.S in Paper and Printing Science from Western Michigan University, Pathak highlights the importance of considering sustainable alternatives. He suggests that the future of packaging might lie in materials that are easier to recycle and have less impact on the environment.

Q: What is your familiarity with laminated packaging?

A: Food packaging and pharmaceutical packaging.

I have extensive knowledge of laminated flexible packaging for food and food products, as well as occasionally consumer goods and medications. I pretty much handle laminated packaging every day.

Q: How eco-friendly is lamination?

A: Not very eco-friendly.

As everyone knows, plastic is not very environmentally friendly, and when we talk about flexible packaging laminates, we are talking about combining two or more plastics into one product.

It is really hard to recycle because you are not talking about a single piece of plastic. You are referring to nearly two distinct plastics that are laminated or bound to one another and that are difficult to separate once the goods within have been used.

Q: What are the most common combinations of plastics?

A: PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and OPP (oriented polypropylene).

The ones I see every day are mostly for packaging cookies and chocolates. So, the most common ones you’ll find on the shelves are a primary film that's [...] PET polyester, or it could be polypropylene, which is OPP that they refer to. They're laminated, too, either clear or metalized OPP or metalized PET. The secondary structure of the laminates is, in most cases, metalized film, which provides excellent barrier properties, enhances the shelf life of your food and helps preserve the nutritional characteristics of your foods.

Polyethylene mixed with metalized secondary or another polyethylene is used in a variety of laminates. There are various methods used to create these film laminates:

1. Adhesive lamination, where an adhesive is used to marry the two films.
2. By extruding a plastic between two films, the technique known as extrusion lamination helps fuse them together to form a stronger barrier.

Although there are other possible combinations, I usually work with a transparent primary and a metalized secondary.

Q: How are some types of lamination more eco-friendly than others?

A:In terms of being eco-friendly, they are pretty much the same when it comes to plastic. Regarding recycling, switching to materials with a single film or layer is unquestionably more recyclable and, consequently, potentially more environmentally friendly.

Although paper laminates are far more environmentally friendly, they lack the barrier qualities that plastics provide.

Q: What is the process for recycling laminated packaging?

A: Recycling laminated packaging is difficult.

If a plastic gets laminated, there is some type of polymer or adhesive that marries the two materials; that kind of stuff is usually very hard to recycle. If you are [...] to recycle some of it, it’s not going to be 100% [recyclable].

If someone can find a way to separate plastics from each other in laminates, that would be really innovative. Packaging that is surface printed can be recycled by using volatile solvents to get rid of the graphics on them and then reuse/recycle.

I’ve heard a podcast, and some articles say that even if something says ‘Recyclable’ it is not necessarily going to be recycled.” We always see that nice recyclable symbol under the milk can, but we don’t know if it is going to be recycled or even make it to the recycling facility.

Q: What is the recyclability of compostable packaging?

 

A: There are various research being conducted for composting.

There is an existing ‘industry standard’ that is being used to determine the compostability of a package, and there is ongoing work by both academia and industry where they conduct extensive research to determine the compostability of every element of the package. Some facilities/ laboratories are set up to study compostability by accelerating/simulating conditions and come up with adequate answers on the the compostability of packaging plastic or otherwise.

Q: Are new plastics or recycled plastics cheaper?

 

A: New plastics.

It’s cheaper to make new plastic than to recycle plastic. I’m not sure why anyone would buy recycled plastic when the new plastic is cheaper. Since plastic is the best material for packaging and preserving the quality of food, using it has two drawbacks. But then when you talk about recycling, it’s not a good situation, and it is affecting the environment more than we know or talk about these days.

Q: What is the situation on packaging ending up in landfills?

 

A: There are community and individual efforts to keep plastics away from landfills.

Large efforts have been made in the majority of towns and cities to separate recyclable glass and plastics from items that can end up in landfills. However, the fact that a sizable amount of plastic is ending up in landfills is highly accessible information.

Having two separate trash cans at home is a good place to start when it comes to waste segregation. Waste segregation helps, but not a hundred percent.

Q: Will lamination be sustainable in the future?

A: Potentially.

A lot of food companies are trying to experiment with single-structure recyclable plastic packaging while still attempting to maintain the integrity of their food products.

There is nothing common in laminates right now in the market that is recyclable/eco-friendly.

Packaging that switches from lamination to a single structure has the potential to be recyclable, eco-friendly, and sustainable because the inks and coatings can be removed by washing them with solvents, leaving behind a single recyclable plastic film.

Some food packaging is trying to make some, if not all, of the package biodegradable by combining paper and foil or paper and foil with plastic.

Q: Do you see lamination substitutes being more prevalent in the future? If so, how?

A: Yes, in the next 5-7 years.

There is a lot of effort to start working on substitutes in the next 5-7 years. The packaging chain is made up of numerous businesses working together to develop sustainable solutions. We will still require laminates in the future, but there might be more intelligent ways to process or recycle them after use. I hope that everyone wakes up and takes responsibility for plastic packaging.

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You now have a better understanding of the various facets of plastics, laminated packaging, and packaging innovation! Download our Ultimate Guide to eCommerce Packaging for free to learn more about sustainability. Also, take a look at our sustainability page for PackMojo’s sustainability efforts and our green initiatives.

Check out our other sustainability blog posts:

• the current state and future of lamination
• how to recycling packaging materials the 101 guide
• Sustainable Packaging Examples

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