Neopac’s Polyfoil MMB® Tube Approved by USA’s Association of Plastic Recyclers

Published: February 08, 2022

Hoffmann Neopac, a global provider of high-quality packaging for pharma, beauty and oral care, has been granted approval for its Polyfoil® MMB mono-material barrier tube by the US-based Association of Plastic Recyclers. Offering a groundbreaking combination of product protection, user friendliness and appealing aesthetics, the tubes passed muster both with and without its thin film metallization option.

Neopac’s Polyfoil® MMB tubes can reduce packaging carbon footprints by up to 38 percent compared to traditional laminated tubes. The tube body uses a first-of-its-kind adhesive laminated process creating advanced barrier and aesthetic options in the tube body. The tube’s shoulder and cap are made with low MFI HDPE and just 2 percent of foreign material. At the end of 2020, Polyfoil® MMB tubes became the first such tube/cap combination successfully tested by RecyClass, an initiative by Plastics Recyclers Europe.

To gain APR approval, Neopac’s data was confirmed to be correctly developed by a qualified laboratory, its Polyfoil® MMB tubes met or exceeded challenging test conditions and upheld criteria that packaging be recycled in the HDPE bottle stream, of which tubes are a subset.

Owed to Neopac’s advancements in materials science, Polyfoil® MMB accomplishes recyclability goals while maintaining the attractive printing and decorative options for which Neopac’s conventional Polyfoil® tubes are known. The solution is available with a non-compromising metallized look and, when combined with Neopac’s HDPE screw and hinge closures, comes fully ready for recycling in PE rigid streams.

Neopac’s Polyfoil® MMB exemplifies the plastic industry’s efforts to develop high-end PE barrier tubes compatible with dedicated recycling streams. The proliferation of new technologies and products for packaging in various sectors – including pharma, whose patient-first concerns can present materials sustainability challenges – that align with enhanced recycling principles shows strong commitment from value chain actors, contributing to an increase in overall recycling targets and furthering the goal of reaching plastics circularity.

The first series of Polyfoil® MMB tubes is now available, with oral care brands committed to shift this year, and both pharmaceutical and cosmetic customers already performing stability or compatibility tests.

For more information, visit www.neopac.com.