Bobst and Michelman presented their latest high-barrier recyclable packaging developments at interpack 2026 in Düsseldorf, outlining how the solutions are designed to help converters and brand owners comply with the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

The two companies have collaborated for over a decade on recyclable, high-barrier packaging intended to replace conventional multi-layer plastic packaging. Thierry Van Migem, director of sales for the European region at Michelman, and Nick Copeland, R&D director – barrier solutions at Bobst, addressed delegates at the trade fair, which was held in May 2026.

The EU’s PPWR is designed to reduce packaging waste and drive all packaging toward recyclability and circularity across the European Union. It introduces stricter requirements around recyclability, recycled content, reuse and waste reduction. From 1 January 2030, all packaging placed on the EU market must meet minimum recyclability thresholds, initially set at Grade C, or approximately 70% recyclable. For converters, the regulation is already creating pressure as sustainable packaging transitions from a future requirement to an immediate operational one.

A partnership that has made significant progress

The Bobst-Michelman collaboration began with the development of protective coatings for inorganic transparent barrier technologies such as AlOx and SiOx, and has since expanded into advanced mono-material and paper-based packaging structures capable of delivering high barrier performance while maintaining recyclability.

“We needed to get the same barrier performance on much more challenging, less performing substrates,” said Copeland. “That performance had to be achieved but also maintained through each conversion step.”

The two companies combined Michelman’s expertise in water-based functional coatings with Bobst’s vacuum metallization, coating and converting technologies to develop scalable solutions capable of meeting both sustainability and performance requirements.

One flagship development is oneBarrier PrimeCycle, a recyclable mono-material polyethylene solution developed by Bobst, Michelman and several other industry partners for high-barrier flexible packaging applications. The structure combines MDO-PE film with ultra-thin Michelman primers and Bobst vacuum metallization technology, resulting in a PE-based structure capable of achieving oxygen and water transmission levels comparable to the ultra-high barrier performance of aluminum foil.

The unprinted AlOx-containing structure contains up to 98% polyethylene content and achieved a recyclability score of 98% through external testing with cyclos-HTP. “We are talking about vacuum metallizing layers around 1,000 times thinner than a human hair,” said Copeland.

oneBarrier FibreCycle – advancing paper-based packaging

Bobst and Michelman also presented the latest developments within oneBarrier FibreCycle, their paper-based high-barrier solution. Unlike polymer films, paper substrates provide virtually no inherent barrier performance, making functional coatings and metallization essential. “One of the challenges with paper is that we’re starting from a substrate that has absolutely no functional barrier,” said Copeland.

The oneBarrier FibreCycle structure involves two phases of wet coating – primer coating before metallization and a heat-sealable top-coat afterwards. Developed in partnership with UPM Specialty Materials, the structure uses oxygen barrier primers, vacuum metallization and heat seal coatings applied to carefully selected paper substrates. According to the companies, the final structures achieved oxygen transmission rates as low as 0.02-0.1 while maintaining strong moisture barrier performance under tropical conditions. Recyclability testing conducted via CEPI harmonized and WMU protocols demonstrated what the companies described as excellent recyclability performance.

Bio-based and other future solutions

The presentation also explored the next generation of sustainable packaging materials, including bio-based, plastic-free coating systems. The goal, according to the companies, is to create packaging structures that are both recyclable and compostable while complying with the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive. The teams demonstrated proof-of-concept packaging running on industrial packaging equipment at speeds up to 350 envelopes per minute, with 100% sealing performance.

Also presented at interpack was the use of ultra-thin film lamination for high-barrier paper packaging, combining extremely thin metallized BOPP films with paper substrates to create structures the companies said approach aluminum foil replacement barrier levels.

“The surface chemistry is more important than the thickness,” said Copeland. By combining thin film technology with Michelman’s oxygen-promoting primers, the companies said they are now approaching ultra-high barrier performance suitable for more demanding packaging applications. “We cannot give in on performance,” said Van Migem. “People want their products to retain the same shelf life.”

To support the practical application of these innovations, customers of Bobst and Michelman can use Bobst’s global Competence Centers and Michelman’s Global Technology Centers to test and accelerate development and industrialization across coating, metallization, printing and lamination processes.