Innovia opens new line for sustainable films in Germany

Innovia Films, a material science company that manufactures BOPP films for labels, graphics, packaging and tobacco, has opened a new line for specialty films at its Schkopau site near Leipzig in Germany. 

The new line is 8.8 meters wide, can produce 15-50 micron film with a capacity of 35,000 tons annually and is strategically located centrally in Europe next to many large customers.

'The Linear Motor Simultaneous Stretching Machine (LISIM) is a technology developed by Brückner Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG for the production of simultaneously oriented polymer films,' said Günther Birkner, president of Innovia. 'There are several benefits for our customers, including balanced orientation, which means that film properties are equal in machine and transverse direction; this is important for many applications in labels and packaging. Moreover, the products have enhanced optical properties, optionally functional skin layers, and material and energy efficiency in order to reduce our carbon footprint.'

The investment is part of the company's strategy to focus on sustainable materials for the label industry as part of its ‘Better Future’ material science strategy. Thinner materials equal more material efficiency and a lower carbon footprint of the end product, which supports the carbon reduction strategy of major brands looking to introduce sustainable packaging into the market.

The LISIM technology enables extrusion of high-quality, stretched film in faster and more flexible production.

'We can achieve excellent film properties with this technology — better film quality for value-added products,' explained Giuseppe Ronzoni, general manager at Innovia Films in Schkopau. 'In addition to that, the LISIM technology is significantly more energy efficient than other extrusion technologies for BOPP film, which, of course, leads to an overall smaller carbon footprint of the finished product itself.'

The new line will manufacture products ranging from pressure-sensitive face stock films for labels to flexible packaging films for mono-material retort constructions.

'The result is thinner labels for consumer products such as shampoo labels, for example, that will help reduce packaging, which is also in the scope of PPWR,' said Lucija Kralj, business unit director labels at Innovia.