glossary

HDPE BARRIER PACKAGING

HDPE barrier packaging may include a number of barrier technologies, Advanced in Mold Fluorination, Post Fluorination, Plasma Fluorination and Coextrusion.

All the fluorination technologies work by fluorine ions replacing hydrogen ions in the polymer chain to provide an effective barrier to searching chemicals that would not normally be able to be contained in conventional HDPE.

Advanced in Mold Fluorination is the only fluorination barrier technology that is both consistent and complies with all recent proposals to restrict the use of PFAS.

Coextrusion is the combination of multiple layers of materials to provide the barrier, these are normally HDPE, with barriers in PE/PA (Polyamide), or less used EVOH (Ethylene-vinyl alcohol).

Coextruded packagings are less easy to recycle than Fluorinated packagings due to the multi material composition and attract extra cost to do so.

Fluorinated containers are a mono material barrier packagings which can be recycled in the same way as conventional HDPE.

Packaging may be UN approved or not dependant on usage and transportation requirements.