Redesign and Development of Flexible Packaging for Enhanced Recyclability in Sustainable Food Applications

The circular economy and sustainable development are crucial in addressing environmental pollution from solid waste, especially plastics. Plastic waste has sparked significant social concerns, driving a redesign of products in the flexible packaging industry. This study focuses on redesigning flexible plastic packaging to improve recyclability and accelerate degradability while maintaining essential mechanical and barrier properties for food applications. The goal is to create sustainable packaging that reduces material usage, ensures recyclability, and promotes faster degradation at the product's end of life. The study compared the redesigned packaging's mechanical, physical, and barrier properties with existing products. Results showed that switching from a trilaminate to a bilaminate structure, as in laminated coils and Doypack packaging, reduced material thickness without compromising performance. Oxygen permeability was maintained at 35.38 cc/m²·day, and moisture permeability at 0.56 mg/m²·day for laminated coils. These changes reduced raw material consumption by 26.48% for laminated coils and 12.68% for Doypack packaging. Additionally, a degradable solution combining cellulose paper with a high-barrier polymer reduces plastic adhesives and solvents by 50%, reducing water usage. This research provides a practical approach to more sustainable flexible packaging in the food industry, achieving material reductions without sacrificing performance. The findings can be directly applied to promote sustainable packaging solutions within circular economy initiatives.