Siegwerk, Enplater Won Sustainability Award in September
The companies earned recognition for a new mono-material pouch designed to meet circular packaging requirements.
Updated on Sept. 24, 2026 in Consumer Goods
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In September 2026, Siegwerk and Enplater Group received the Labels & Labeling Sustainability Award during the Loupe Americas event in Chicago. The award honors their collaboration on a recycle-ready mono-material polypropylene pouch for the food packaging industry.
Why it matters
This development addresses the growing pressure on food manufacturers and converters to meet Design for Recycling standards. By replacing complex multi-layer structures with mono-material alternatives, businesses can simplify their recycling streams while maintaining shelf-life performance.
The award marks the successful deployment of a single integrated ink technology project in a field of industry competitors. It is currently unknown how this specific material configuration performs at scale compared to existing industry packaging standards.
The players
Siegwerk
A global manufacturer of printing inks and coatings for packaging applications, focused on high-performance chemical solutions.
Enplater Group
A packaging converter and manufacturer providing flexible packaging solutions to the food and consumer goods sectors.
The details
The project integrates Siegwerk’s Cirkit Oxybar White ink and polyurethane-based systems into Enplater’s converting process. By applying an inline oxygen barrier and white ink in a single step, the pouch avoids the contamination issues typical of multi-material laminates. This shift facilitates easier sorting and processing at recycling facilities, directly supporting the transition toward circular packaging life cycles.
Timeline
September 2026: The Labels & Labeling Sustainability Award was presented at the Loupe Americas 2026 event.
Market Landscape
This innovation follows the broader trend set by the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) to standardize circular packaging. Converters are increasingly moving away from complex laminates to meet these emerging regulatory requirements.
Operators in the food sector should evaluate their existing packaging portfolio for compliance with Design for Recycling requirements. Reviewing supplier partnerships for advanced mono-material technologies may prevent future costs associated with changing environmental regulations.
The takeaway
The successful integration of oxygen-barrier inks into mono-material pouches demonstrates a viable path for achieving circularity without compromising product protection. Converters should track the adoption rates of these single-step ink systems as a benchmark for their own material procurement strategies.
Further reading
For more insight into sustainable packaging shifts, visit our /business/industry/consumer-goods/ section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Labelsandlabeling.
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