Austrian packaging group Constantia Flexibles (Vienna; www.cflex.com) said it is commercialising its CompresSeal technology in Europe by partnering with polyethylene packaging and film manufacturer Plasthill Technical Films, part of the Dutch Oerlemans Packaging Group (Genderen; www.oerlemanspackaging.nl).

CompresSeal film has higher seal integrity than standard PE films and weighs up to 30% less, Constantia said, adding that volumes will be available to first customers in selected markets from August 2022.

“The technology behind the CompresSeal film is the result of years of research and development by our experts. Together with Plasthill’s leading embossing capabilities, we take this forward-looking packaging solution to the next level and offer it to customers in a broad variety of packaging applications,” Constantia CEO Pim Vervaat said.

The CompresSeal technology is said to consist of a novel and special micro embossing technology that allows the weight of the polyolefinic sealant films to be lowered by up to 30% while still having the same thickness as standard packaging.

Furthermore, according to Constantia, the technology reduces issues associated with migrating slip agents usually used in the PE and PP film industry. Thus, fewer additives are required, and the coefficient of friction on the packaging line remains constant, resulting in higher production speeds, according to the supplier.

Packaging applications particularly suitable for CompresSeal are said to include flow packs for washing detergents, dry pet food, coffee, nuts, savory foods, as well as stand-up pouches for liquids.

Initially, said Constantia, the focus will be on PE sealants in thicknesses above 60g/m², where weight-saving has the most significant environmental impact.