Siegwerk strengthens its position as a manufacturer of coatings
By establishing a global business unit for recyclable coatings, Siegwerk is reinforcing its strategic focus on the development of functional coatings to support sustainable packaging innovations in the sense of a circular economy.
Siegwerk, one of the world’s leading suppliers of printing inks and coatings for packaging applications and labels, announced the establishment of a new business unit focusing on the development of functional coatings for the realisation of sustainable packaging innovations in line with a circular economy. The expansion of the organisational structure, which came into effect on 1 April 2024, not only underlines the company’s increasing strategic focus on functional coatings, but also strengthens its position as a pioneer for recyclable packaging solutions across all business units.
“In addition to our broad portfolio of renowned printing inks and coatings, we have long concentrated on developing functional coating technologies for different substrates, processes and performance requirements,” says Dr Nicolas Wiedmann, CEO at Siegwerk. Especially in light of the sustainability trend, functional coatings offer great potential for the future of packaging. By providing specific functional properties that are crucial for the performance and durability of packaging, they play a key role in the realisation of packaging solutions in the sense of a circular economy.
Development of innovative coating technology
“Functional coatings can, for example, help to reduce the complexity of packaging or add functional properties to renewable raw materials such as paper so that they can be used for a wider range of packaging applications,” adds Gilles Le Moigne, Head of the CE Coatings business unit. “For this reason, we are increasingly focusing on the development of innovative coating technologies that prioritise recyclability to enable the seamless return of packaging to the circular economy.” The newly established Coating Unit will serve as a cross-divisional competence centre for recyclable solutions and will complement Siegwerk’s conventional coating range for the various packaging applications with special functional coating technologies.
The company has appointed Gilles Le Moigne, an experienced expert in packaging coatings, as head of the CE Coatings business unit, who will lead the establishment and development of the new department from April 2024. “I am very much looking forward to this new challenge,” explains Le Moigne. “Siegwerk is already well positioned in the coatings sector and I will be happy to contribute my experience to take the circular coatings business to the next level.” In addition to effective primer solutions for delamination and deinking, among other things, and decorative printing varnishes for exceptional visual or tactile effects, Siegwerk customers can now also choose from a wide range of functional coatings. From barrier coatings against liquids, oils and greases, water vapour, oxygen and UV light to heat-sealable coatings and protective coatings, e.g. for heat resistance, scratch resistance, slip resistance or antistatic properties, Siegwerk’s portfolio of functional coatings already includes several water- and solvent-based technologies for different applications, substrates, coating processes and performance requirements. All coatings are produced worldwide and are always tailored to individual customer needs, including specific regional regulations and local market requirements.
Every European generates 180kg of packaging waste per year
Today, Siegwerk can already look back on several successful development projects with customers and industry partners that have resulted in advanced packaging solutions with improved performance and recyclability. Together with Henkel, for example, Siegwerk has developed an innovative oxygen barrier coating that enables mono-material packaging solutions with better recyclability and improved barrier properties. In another development project, Siegwerk and Packiro have jointly implemented a sustainable fibre-based packaging solution with high protective barrier properties and 100% recyclability. With the development of the new UniNATURE water-oil barrier coating, Siegwerk has also launched the first barrier solution with 100% natural ingredients that enables the recycling of disposable paper plates via the existing paper cycle – to name just a few of the many development examples. “In order to continue paving the way for the increasing recyclability of packaging, we will expand our scope of cooperation to the entire packaging ecosystem in future,” continues Gilles Le Moigne. “After all, the sustainability of packaging is a complex issue that makes cross-industry collaboration essential for progress.”
Rethinking packaging design has never been more important. According to the European Commission, each European generates on average almost 180kg of packaging waste per year, and if nothing changes, this amount will increase by a further 19% by 2030, with the increase in plastic packaging waste reaching as much as 46%. For this reason, the Commission has agreed on EU-wide regulations for packaging to stop this trend. The European Green Deal aims to reduce packaging waste through reuse and recycling and to make sustainable packaging the norm. Therefore, there is an urgent need to rethink today’s packaging and make it fit for all kinds of regulations and possible upcoming bans on certain material combinations. “Here, functional coatings can help to enable the switch from multi-material to mono-material packaging and expand the use of renewable packaging materials,” adds Dr Nicolas Wiedmann. “As an expert in packaging inks and coatings, we are very familiar with packaging design and the latest regulations, including food safety, packaging sustainability and recycling. We know what it takes to develop packaging structures for the circular economy that are compliant with all relevant regulations.”
