Siegwerk bundles circular coating products under Cirkit portfolio

Siegwerk has bundled all circular coating solutions into its new Cirkit product portfolio. A new uniform naming concept for Siegwerk’s expanding portfolio of functional coatings now ensures recognition value and transparency to stakeholders along the entire value chain.   

The European Union sets strict standards for packaging recyclability with the new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). From 2030, no packaging may be sold in the EU anymore that is not recyclable. Functional coatings are an important building block in this process. Siegwerk knows this and uses its vantage point in the packaging supply chain to develop products that meet current and future needs for manufacturers of paper and paperboard as well as films and foils, converters and brand owners.  

Gilles Le Moigne, head business unit CE coatings at Siegwerk, said: ‘Especially in light of the increasing importance of sustainability, functional coatings offer a high potential for the future of packaging. As they provide specific functional properties that are crucial for the performance and durability of packaging, they play a key role in realizing packaging solutions in the sense of a circular economy. That is why we will strengthen our focus on the development of innovative coating technologies going forward.’ 

Functional coatings enhance production efficiency, replacing excess material layers thereby reducing packaging complexity and expanding the use of renewable materials such as paper for various packaging needs. They play a crucial role in transitioning from plastic to paper, a key trend in sustainable packaging. 

Siegwerk’s portfolio of functional coatings today covers several water-based and solvent-based technologies for different applications, substrates, coating processes and performances: from barrier coatings against liquids, oil and grease, water vapor, oxygen, and UV light through heat seal coatings to protection coatings. As Siegwerk continues to expand its portfolio in this field, it has now introduced an own uniform naming concept for its Cirkit products.  

‘We want our customers or potential customers to find what they are looking for directly. With our new brand for functional coatings and a standardized name that includes an indication of the product's function, we make our portfolio recognizable and transparent,’ explained Le Moigne.  

The portfolio includes Cirkit Oxybar, an oxygen barrier coating guaranteeing an extended shelf life, particularly for dry food packaging, according to Seigwerk. Further solutions offered are Cirkit Greasebar, an oil and grease resistant barrier coating, and Cirkit UVbar, a barrier coating protecting against UV light and Cirkit Clearprime allowing smooth deinking of hardly deinkable surface printed structures and laminates. Siegwerk is currently in the process of registering the Cirkit brand as a trademark. 

Siegwerk offers a diverse range of coatings, including printing solutions such as silk or soft-touch varnishes, resistant overprint-varnishes, primers, and special relief lacquers. These complement its high-quality inks in addition to providing customers with primer solutions for delamination, deinking, and decorative effects. All coatings are produced worldwide and tailored to individual customer requirements, including specific regional regulations and local market needs. 

Siegwerk is not only a supplier of inks and coatings for printers, but also a partner for substrate manufacturers, converters and brand owners to develop and implement sustainable packaging concepts that meet the upcoming regulatory requirements for PPWR and others.  

‘As an ink and coating expert for packaging, Siegwerk is very familiar with packaging design and the latest regulations, including food safety and packaging sustainability,’ said Le Moigne ‘We know what it takes to create packaging structures for circularity that are conform with all relevant regulations.’ 

Siegwerk is convinced that packaging circularity can only be achieved through collaboration across the entire packaging value chain. Together with Henkel, Siegwerk for example created an innovative oxygen barrier coating that enables mono-material packaging solutions with better recyclability and better barrier properties.