What if using less plastic made packaging better?
That's the idea behind a new innovation from Innovia Films, a global materials science company that just opened a high-tech film production line in eastern Germany. The facility is set to pump out ultra-thin plastic films used in product labels and packaging, with the goal of reducing material use, cutting energy consumption, and helping brands shrink their carbon footprint, Label and Narrow Web reported.
The new line uses a futuristic-sounding linear motor simultaneous stretching machine (LISIM), which stretches plastic in multiple directions at once, creating stronger, more flexible films with less material and lower emissions.
"We can achieve excellent film properties with this technology — better film quality for value added products," said Giuseppe Ronzoni, general manager of Innovia Films.
That's a big deal. Plastic packaging is made from chemicals obtained from dirty energy sources, and producing it pumps planet-warming pollution into the air. Thinner films mean less plastic per product, which means less pollution and fewer microplastics ending up in landfills, oceans, and our bodies.
Innovia's new line can manufacture up to 35,000 tons of film a year in thicknesses ranging from 15 to 50 microns (roughly half the width of a human hair). Innovia says the films are ideal for pressure-sensitive labels and mono-material flexible packaging — formats that many big brands are turning to as they work to meet new sustainability targets.
"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," Ronzoni said.
Label by label, this kind of packaging upgrade could help make sustainable design the new standard. "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," added Lucija Kralj, Innovia's director of labels, referencing the European Union's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.
This move is part of Innovia's broader "Better Future" strategy focused on sustainable materials, joining other industry shifts toward eco-conscious packaging. For example, companies such as Walmart and Coca-Cola have also invested in reducing single-use plastic across their supply chains.
And while it might seem like a behind-the-scenes shift, changes like this can ripple across the products we use every day. Supporting brands that prioritize this kind of innovation isn't just good for the planet; it's a small step that helps drive bigger change.
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