First fully recyclable tubes with high-density polyethylene caps developed

The first fully recyclable polyethylene-based tubes with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) flip-top caps have been developed. 

According to Hoffmann Neopac, which developed the packaging, the tubes are a breakthrough in the worldwide push for packaging sustainability as the mono-material tube and cap combination overcomes a longstanding functionality hurdle for hinged caps, which were previously made predominantly from less recyclable polypropylene (PP) materials.

The company highlights that in existing recycling streams, mono-material plastic packaging is exceedingly more preferable than combination plastics, as its comparable simplicity is considered fully recyclable in mechanical recycling plants and therefore a key factor in moving toward a circular packaging landscape.

The business says that the new tubes are fully recyclable with the body, shoulder and caps composed of a single material family. Available in screw-top formats, the company says the tubes are ideal for pharma packaging applications, among others.

In addition to the new HDPE flip-top caps, a comprehensive portfolio of PE screw caps are being launched and will be manufactured in-house.

“Achieved in collaboration with a long-time supplier, the new HDPE flip-top caps overcome the last hurdle to fully recyclable tube packaging – namely, the ability to form functional closures from the same material as the tube body and shoulder,” said Simon Böhlen, Development Engineer for Neopac. “Pharmaceutical brands can now assure their increasingly sustainability-conscious customers that the packaging in which their products are housed has the lowest-possible environmental impact, as we move toward a fully circular packaging economy.”

Neopac says it is now in the development stages of next-generation, HDPE-optimised high-performance barrier tubes with improved decoration options.