How new resins will benefit food packaging

THE NEWLY developed INNATE™ Precision Packaging Resins offer unprecedented performance levels aimed to address performance gaps in the industry.

Made from a patented molecular catalyst coupled with advanced process technology, the new product from Dow Chemical Company’s (NYSE: DOW) Packaging and Specialty Plastics business will allow its customers to unlock new packaging opportunities through unmatched stiffness-toughness balance, processing ease and improved sustainability profiles, said Dow executives.

What’s in it for the food packaging sector?

For food packaging, Sami Mainich, Dow Sales Director – Middle East, Africa and Turkey, further explains: “INNATE is a new category of ethylene-based co-polymers that can help improve food packaging integrity, helping keep foods protected longer to reduce food waste.  It’s different than other resins from Dow because our patented molecular catalyst and process technology enables the tailoring of molecular architectures in ways that haven’t been possible before. INNATE resins can improve abuse performance and offer unprecedented stiffness and toughness balance which can increase packaging performance. This technology is enlarging the toolbox of converters.  Converters will use this technology to help address current challenges, such as lightweighting without sacrificing package integrity. 

Sami Mainich, Dow Sales Director – Middle East, Africa and Turkey

Material reduction potential

“The flexible packaging value chain is always trying to come up with thinner and lighter weight packages, but in many cases, the more you lightweight a package, the more you risk the integrity of the package. INNATE Precision Packaging Resins help address that,” said Mr Mainich. “These resins can allow converters to downgauge and create lightweight packages without sacrificing integrity. The percentage of reduction can vary widely based on many factors including application requirements, what the packaging contains, what is currently used to make the package.”

Mr Mainic said, “INNATE resins were developed after receiving a lot of feedback from the packaging value chain and understanding the trends in the market. There is a need for packaging that can withstand today’s on-the go, fast paced consumer lifestyle. Current resins have really hit the wall in terms of performance, but INNATE resins can help increase overall abuse-resistance, enable lightweighting without sacrificing package integrity and provide an excellent balance of stiffness and toughness. And lighweighting is a terrific way to increase the sustainability profile of a package.”

The resins will help define new market spaces and create new categories not just for flexible food packaging but for a host of other applications such as heavy-duty industrial shipping sacks.

“INNATE resins were developed as a result of many discussions with converters and brand owners and careful analysis of the market trends. We’re excited about what INNATE will enable in future packaging design,” said Diego Donoso, business president for Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics.

David Parrillo, global R&D director for Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics, added, “The chemistry behind INNATE resins allows customers to control properties like never before to create a new standard of performance through a combination of film stiffness, toughness and processability, all from one packaging resin.”

“INNATE Precision Packaging Resins were born from a breakthrough, patented catalyst and process technology and gives brand owners, retailers and converters what they’re demanding: the ability to create precision combinations that deliver high performing food, consumer and industrial packages,” said Nestor de Mattos, marketing director for Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics. “INNATE™ is a real star in packaging resin technology.”

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