Patent Application
20250145337
The present application claims the priority of the earlier European application No EP22162602.1 filed on 17 Mar. 2022 in the name of AISAPACK HOLDING SA, the contents of this earlier application being incorporated in full by reference in the present application.
The invention relates to the field of packaging based on cellulose or made of recyclable plastic. It concerns more specifically packaging having a reduced environmental impact. The invention applies to the field of packaging comprising a cylindrical body made from a sheet. The invention applies in particular to recyclable flexible tubes for containing products such as creams or pastes, or bottles for cosmetic products, or cartridges for containing products such as glue or mastic, or cylindrical packaging (cans, flexible pouches) for containing liquid or dry products.
These types of packaging are known for example from the following publications: WO 2022/229810, EP1260447, FR2505250, GB1118632, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,119,926 and 4,132,331.
The invention relates to packaging such as tubes or bottles comprising at least a tubular body made from a sheet for example based on cellulose. The wall of the tubular body comprises at least a first structural layer based on cellulose and a second layer, referred to as a functional layer, forming the inner layer of the packaging. According to the invention, the adhesion between the two layers is adjusted in order to allow easy separation of the structural and functional layers when the packaging has reached the end of its life. A preferred embodiment of the invention consists in adding internal and external reinforcing strips at the weld. According to this embodiment, the external strip is used at the end of life to facilitate separation of the layers and the internal strip is used to keep the packaging sealed after having separated the structural layer based on cellulose. The invention makes it possible to facilitate recycling of the packaging, the structural layer, which forms the majority of the packaging, for example based on cellulose comprising a minimum of 85% cellulose, being recycled with paper, while the functional layer of the packaging, for example based on polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP), is recycled in the appropriate recycling channel. The first part of the invention is advantageously used to reduce the environmental impact of tubes or bottles or cartridges of mastic.
The principle of this invention is therefore to use at least two types of material to respectively form the structural layer and the functional layer, which are recycled in different channels, to assemble them with a “peelable” interface so as, first of all, to ensure said materials are assembled with sufficient adhesion for the use of the packaging and, second, to allow said materials to be separated at the end of the life of the packaging for the purposes of recycling said materials in their appropriate recycling channels.
In some embodiments, the invention relates to recyclable packaging comprising parts assembled to one another so as to form the packaging, at least one of said parts of the packaging comprising a structural layer made of a first type of material and a functional layer made of a second type of material, said types of material having different recycling channels, said structural and functional layers being attached to one another by a peelable interface which ensures sufficient adhesion between said structural and functional layers to maintain the integrity of the packaging at least during its use and the separation of the layers allowing the structural and functional layers to be recycled in their appropriate recycling channels after they have been separated.
In some embodiments, the parts of the packaging comprise a body, for example tubular, and additional parts. These additional parts may be a head and/or a base and/or a cap.
In some embodiments, the structural layer may be based on cellulose and the functional layer may be based on synthetic material(s). Other materials are possible for forming the structural layer and the functional layer: for example, metals (such as aluminium, bio-based polymers, compostable polymers, etc.). The structural and functional layers may be monolayer or multilayer.
This principle of the invention applies not only to the body of the packaging but may also apply to other parts/portions of the packaging (described for example as “additional parts” in the present application), such as the head of a tube, the cap, or the base of the packaging. Thus, each of the given parts of the packaging may comprise at least one such structural layer and one such functional layer attached to one another by a peelable interface, and the principle of the present invention applies to these parts in order to allow recycling in the appropriate recycling channels according to the principles of the present invention.
In some embodiments of the invention, the separation is started during the use of the packaging or after the use of the packaging.
In some embodiments of the invention, at least a part of the packaging comprises an external strip secured or connected to the structural layer by a peelable interface in such a way that the external strip may be used to facilitate the separation between the structural layer and the functional layer.
In some embodiments of the invention, the external strip may be at least partially separated from the structural layer at the end of the life of the packaging, for example upon separation of the structural and functional layers.
In some embodiments of the invention, the external strip is made of the first type of material. In some embodiments, the first type of material is based on cellulose.
In some embodiments of the invention, at least a part of the packaging comprises an internal strip secured to the functional layer, said internal strip making it possible to keep the packaging sealed after separation of the structural and functional layers.
In some embodiments of the invention, the internal strip is made of the second type of material.
Depending on the part of the packaging in question (body, tube head, cap, base), such a strip may or may not be used. The internal and external strips may be monolayer or multilayer.
In some embodiments of the invention, the functional layer is based on polyethylene, preferably based on high density polyethylene, and/or based on polypropylene and/or based on bio-based and/or biodegradable resin.
In some embodiments of the invention, the packaging forms, after separation, two recyclable pieces of waste comprising a first piece of waste comprising one or more structural layer(s) (originating from the body and/or from the additional parts of the packaging) and a second piece of waste comprising at least one or more functional layers(s) (originating from the body and/or from the additional parts of the packaging).
In some embodiments of the invention, the first piece of waste may comprise the external strip and the second piece of waste may comprise the internal strip.
In some embodiments of the invention, the second piece of waste comprises a resin representing at least 80% of the plastic piece of waste.
In some embodiments of the invention, the tubular body and/or the additional parts respectively comprise a structural layer based on cellulose and a functional layer based on plastic, in such a way that the first piece of waste comprises the structural layer of the body and/or the additional parts and the second piece of waste comprises the functional layer of the body and/or the additional parts.
In some embodiments of the invention, the structural layer is monolayer or multilayer and the functional layer is monolayer or multilayer.
In some embodiments of the invention, the packaging forms a tube and the additional parts are a tube head and a cap.
In some embodiments of the invention, the packaging forms a bottle and the additional parts are a tube head, a cap and a base.
In some embodiments of the invention, the packaging forms a cartridge and the additional parts are a tube head, a cap and a base.
In some embodiments, the invention relates to a method for recycling packaging comprising parts assembled to one another so as to form said packaging, at least one of said parts of the packaging comprising a structural layer made of a first type of material and a functional layer made of a second type of material, said layers being attached to one another by a peelable interface which ensures adhesion between said layers making it possible to maintain the integrity of the packaging during use thereof, in which method the layers are separated at their peelable interface in such a way that they can be recycled in their appropriate recycling channels after they have been separated.
In some embodiments of the invention, separation of the layers is started during the use or after the use of the packaging.
In some embodiments of the method according to the invention, the packaging comprises at least an external strip secured or connected to a structural layer by a peelable interface, and the external strip is used to facilitate the separation between the structural layer and the functional layer at the peelable interface.
In some embodiments of the method according to the invention, at least the packaging comprises an internal strip secured or connected to a functional layer in such a way that sealing of the packaging can be maintained after separation of the structural and functional layers.
In some embodiments of the method according to the invention, the external strip is least partially separated from the structural layer.
In some embodiments of the method according to the invention, two pieces of waste are formed from the packaging by separation, said pieces of waste being formed at least of the layers of the parts of the packaging.
The invention relates to recyclable packaging comprising at least a tubular body comprising a structural layer and a functional layer characterized in particular in that the two layers can be separated and recycled in their appropriate recycling channels.
According to embodiments of the invention, the functional layer 3 provides the properties necessary to preserve the packaged product (for example barriers against moisture and gases, or food grade or weldability properties). The functional layer 3 has a small thickness, preferably less than 50 microns. It may have a monolayer or multilayer structure, with a preferred embodiment in which one of the resins of the layer 3 represents at least 80% of said layer. In this preferred embodiment, use is made, for example, of SiOx or metallized layers to provide gas barrier properties, recyclable plastics, bio-based or compostable polymers, etc.
According to embodiments of the invention, the structural layer 2 provides the rigidity and the stability of the packaging; it allows the packaging to be handled and stored easily by the user. The structural layer 2 also serves as a communication medium and is preferably printed over the whole or a portion of its surface. The functional layer 2 may be based on cellulose and comprise at least 80% cellulose and preferably at least 90% cellulose so that it can be recycled in the paper recycling channel. Metals, bio-based or compostable polymers, etc. are also possible.
According to embodiments of the invention, the tubular part of the packaging is produced from a sheet which is welded or adhesively bonded by means of an external strip 4 and an internal strip 5, said strips being secured to the structural layer 2 and the functional layer 3, respectively. The strips 4 and 5 reinforce the weld and guarantee the integrity of the packaging during use. According to a preferred embodiment of the assembly shown in
According to embodiments of the invention, the external strip 4 is used to facilitate the separation between the structural layer 2 and the functional layer 3 when the packaging is recycled. Thus, the external strip 4 has special packaging separation means, for example a peelable interface with the layer 2.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the external strip 4 is based on cellulose and remains connected at least partially to the layer 2 when the separation takes place. This preferred embodiment makes it possible to recycle the external strip 4 at the same time as the layer 2 and in the same recycling channel if they are made of identical materials or materials of the same nature.
According to another embodiment of the tube 13 according to the invention, the tubular body 9 and/or the tube head 10 and/or the cap 11 respectively comprise a structural layer 2 based on cellulose and a functional layer 3 based on plastic. At the end of the life of the packaging, the respective structural layers 2 based on cellulose of the tubular body 9 and/or the tube head 10 and/or the cap 11 are separated and recycled in the paper recycling channel. The remaining functional layers 3 of the tubular body 9, the tube head 10 and the cap 11 are recycled in the plastics recycling channel. According to this principle, all the parts of the packaging, or at least the majority of the parts of the packaging, are formed of such structural 2 and functional 3 layers which may, at the end of the life of the packaging, be recycled in the appropriate recycling channels.
According to another embodiment of a bottle 14 according to the invention, the tubular body 9 and/or the base 12 and/or the head 10 and/or the cap 11 respectively comprise a structural layer 2, for example based on cellulose, and a functional layer 3, for example based on plastic. At the end of the life of the bottle 14, the respective structural layers 2 based on cellulose of the tubular body 9 and/or the base 12 and/or the tube head 10 and/or the cap 11 are separated and recycled in the paper recycling channel. The functional layers 3 based on plastic of the tubular body 9, the base 12, the tube head 10 and the cap 11 are recycled in the plastics recycling channel.
According to another embodiment of the cartridge 17 according to the invention, the tubular body 9 and/or the base 12 and/or the head 10 and/or the cap 11 respectively comprise a structural layer 2, for example based on cellulose, and a functional layer 3, for example based on plastic. At the end of the life of the cartridge 17, the respective structural layers 2 based on cellulose of the tubular body 9 and/or the base 12 and/or the tube head 10 and/or the cap 11 are separated and recycled in the paper recycling channel. The functional layers 3 based on plastic of the tubular body 9, the base 12, the tube head 10 and the cap 11 are recycled in the plastics recycling channel.
Embodiments have been described to facilitate a general understanding of the principles of the structure, the operation, the manufacturing and the use of the systems and methods described in the present application. One or more of these embodiments are shown in the appended drawings. The systems and methods specifically described in the present application and shown in the appended drawings are non-limiting embodiments and the scope of the present invention is not defined only by the claims. The features illustrated or described in relation to one embodiment may be combined with the features of other embodiments. Such modifications and variants are intended to be included in the scope of the present invention. A given number of problems encountered with conventional methods and systems are mentioned herein and the methods and systems described herein may solve one or more of these problems. Furthermore, while this invention has been described together with a given number of embodiments, the alternatives, modifications, equivalents and variants which fall within the spirit and the scope of the present invention are also covered by the present application.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22162602.1 | Mar 2022 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2023/051408 | 2/16/2023 | WO |
