New Delhi,June 13, 2022.

Siegwerk, one of the leading global providers of printing inks andcoatings for packaging applications and labels, today announced its most recent development for animproved deinking especially for rigid plastic packaging which is adding a substantial value to industrialmechanicalrecycling.

Beside the already existing water-based deinking primer (officially approved by The Association of PlasticRecyclers (APR)) Siegwerk is now offering an UV-curing deinking primer that is suitable for pressuresensitive and wrap around labels, and shrink sleeves made of Polyolefin- and Polyester-based materials.This development closes a gap as it now allows an inline printing of deinkable materials in a 100% UV-Flexopress setup.

Today, consumers expect higher recycling levels of plastic packaging where a meaningful reuse of therecycledmaterialismandatoryinsteadofwastingthematerialintodowncyclingstreams.Thissustainability-conscious demand has driven brand owners to rethink their packaging to switch to 100%recyclable packaging in the near future. “Achieving this 100% packaging circularity requires a sufficientand consistent quality of recyclates,” explains Ralf Leineweber, Head of Global Technology Developmentat Siegwerk. In mechanical recycling as the today’s only established industrial recycling process, deinkingof printed packaging material is one - if not the most - viable technology to meet this requirement. Onlydeinking can bring here clean and clear recyclates with a suitable quality back into the packaging streamto consequently reduce the need of more virgin plastic material. “That’s why we are committed to supportcustomers with innovative solutions facilitating deinking and thus contribute to establish deinking asindustry standard further improving packaging recyclability and circularity,” adds Guido Lander, VicePresidentNarrowWebEMEAatSiegwerk.

To integrate deinking into the recycling process, recyclers need to implement a hot washing step first, ifnot already existing. Here, it is critical that the deinking does not negatively impact the recycling processfor example by contaminating the wash water. Besides, the lower the needed washing temperature fordeinking the better - because this not only saves energy but also costs. More and more recyclers focusingon rigid plastic packaging such as trays, cups and plastic containers are implementing hot washingprocesses to improve the quality of their recyclates which enables an easy and seamless integration of adeinking step for a broad range of packaging materials. “We consider deinking primers as a key lever forsmart deinking of crosslinked ink systems especially at low washing temperaturesfor sleeves, labels andotherprinteddecorationforrigidplasticpackaging,”explains Leineweber.

Siegwerk’s deinking primers enable a smooth and reliable deinking at any hot washing condition currentlyused in the recycling industry. They are compliant with different film materials like cPET, PE or PP and donotrequire the useofadedicatedink series tokeep complexity forusers ratherlow.Besides,any printingprocess can be used in combination with our deinking primer portfolio – from flexo, offset and screenprinting to foiling, metallic and other decorative embellishments. With its UV-curing deinking primer, thecompany especially offers a solution for converters who are using a pure UV flexo press and are not ableto process a water-based primer. This primer shows best compatibility with UV-curing inks facilitatingquantitative deinking according to the washing protocols of EPBP and APR. Applied under bleedingresistant UV-cured ink layers, the primer layer dissolves in the hot washing process and thus enables thegenerationofhigh-qualitycolorlessrecyclates,whilethenon-bleedinginkformulationsensureacleanandreusablewashingsolution.

Siegwerk is currently engaged in various deinking projects for all kind of rigid packaging solutions with in-moldandpressuresensitivelabelsaswellasfordirectprintedrigidcontainers.“Thegreatestopportunities to improve plastic recycling in line with a circular economy obviously lay in areas where hotwashing already became a standard step within the recycling process, such as in the PET bottle 2 bottlerecycling,” adds Ralf Leineweber. Siegwerk has for example developed deinking technologies for shrinksleeves allowing a 100% recyclability of bottle and sleeve in food contact grade quality. Furthermore, theinkexpertseesexcellent opportunitiestorecoverhigh-qualityrecyclatesfrompostindustrialflexiblepackaging waste via deinking. Post-consumer waste is supposed to follow as well at a certain time due toitsvolumerelatedimportance.

Next to deinking primers, printing inks and coatings, Siegwerk also offers its customers technical servicesalong the value chain to support an optimized and consistent deinking process. The company can alsoprovideoptimizeddeinkingchemistrybasedonasystematicdevelopmenttoensurefastdeinkingresulting in clean flakes with almost virgin quality of the recyclate. “Deinking is not a product for us, it is a“Full-Service Offering” where everything needs tie together,” says Lander. “That’s why we follow a holisticapproach and also offer the execution of deinking tests according to the most common washing protocolsin our specialized laboratories.” Based on its deinking expertise, Siegwerk can guide customers throughthe entire process, from the unprinted substrate to the deinked and recycled packaging material, finallyhelpingtooptimizeplasticpackagingrecyclinginlinewithacircular economy.