With the development of an innovative ink system for the world's first completely circular-economy-capable stand-up pouch, Siegwerk demonstrates its important role in the value chain. The technology will be used at Werner & Mertz in the future.

Siegwerk, one of the world's leading suppliers of printing inks and coatings for packaging applications and labels, is part of a global lighthouse project for recyclable packaging with its innovative ink technology. A stand-up pouch developed by partner Werner & Mertz and the global packaging and paper group Mondi with Siegwerk’s solution is the first flexible packaging to now achieve Gold status in all categories for its recyclability in terms of Cradle-to-Cradle® certification.

“C2C presents a well-accepted and scientifically proven method to validate the characteristics of sustainable materials, products and systems by putting a major role on the human and ecological health impact of the chemical substances used as constituents. With C2C brand owners have the opportunity to demonstrate their innovation efforts to keep their sustainability promise” , says Dr. Stefan Häp, Head of Technology and Innovation Brand Owner Collaboration at Siegwerk. For the development of the sustainable stand-up pouch, the developers followed a plan set up by the accredited institute EPEA Switzerland to comply with the Cradle-to-Cradle® principle.

For the product to be wholly circular, the ultimate award requires adjusting screws at every part of the value chain. “The development of the pouch shows that sustainable products cannot be rushed. They need time, investment, innovation and close cooperation among all partners along the entire value chain if they are to be truly recyclable in the end.,” emphasizes Immo Sander, Head of Packaging Development at Werner & Mertz.

In several initiatives, Siegwerk supports and enables circular packaging solutions, contributing know-how from the printing ink perspective to make packaging recyclable and more sustainable. One example is the cooperation with Werner & Mertz's Recyclate Initiative. Siegwerk is one of the key partners within this initiative. The company developed the ink technologies for several applications and substrates. “We took care of the initial ignition for the sustainable inks on self-adhesive labels and on films for pouches,” says Dr. Häp. For this purpose, Siegwerk developed special ink systems that fit into the certified environmentally friendly concept and the sustainability strategy of Werner & Mertz as well.