Manchester manufacturer develops ‘never seen before’ advanced material to create next gen flexible packaging

Manchester based manufacturer, Duo Packaging, has created a ‘next generation’ graphene enhanced flexible packaging film in ‘a never seen before’ move that is set to push the boundaries of sustainability in retail and e-commerce.

Developed in partnership with the University of Manchester’s Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC), the leading advanced material, 2DPE will allow for the use of recycled content in flexible packaging products to be increased, while reducing material consumption. At the same time, it can retain tensile strength and tear properties, while enhancing processing and energy efficiency during the manufacturing process. 

Industrial trials with GEIC and live shopping retailer QVC have shown that Duo’s new graphene enhanced polythene automation film boosted material strength by up to 35% and increased the levels of recycled content used in their packaging from 45% to 60%. QVC also reported a reduction in the heat sealing temperatures required to seal the bags by 15 degrees. 

QVC has now switched from standard auto-bagging film to 2DPE at its UK fulfilment centre in Liverpool, a move that is expected to save approximately 50 tonnes of virgin plastic and 148,000 tonnes of carbon (tCO₂e) each year.

2DPE is initially being used to manufacture e-commerce mailing bags and an auto-bagging film, which is typically used by retailers to form, fill and seal packaging bags for a wide range of products, such as clothes, cosmetics, homewares and toys. With an estimated 941 million plastic mailing bags being delivered to UK shoppers each year, averaging 2.6 million bags every day, the sustainability benefits of introducing 2DPE could be considerable.

The packaging is also being heralded for its operational performance, offering dual benefits of energy and cost savings and supporting regulatory compliance. In trials with QVC, film thickness was reduced from an already low 30 microns to 28 microns, meaning the film was approximately 5% lighter than QVC’s previous solution. Material lightweighting will vary across different packaging applications; however, in the case of QVC, the 5% reduction in weight could save them around £21,150 in packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees per year.

 Zoe Brimelow, Duo co-owner and brand director, led the research partnership and development of 2DPE. She commented, ‘To effectively improve packaging sustainability, businesses need solutions that are commercially and operationally viable. Retailers are facing cost pressures, tightening regulations, growing customer expectations, market volatility and supply chain challenges. There was nothing on the market that could solve all of these challenges without having to make some type of trade off. We knew graphene was the answer to solving this challenge.

‘We have spent over a year on research and development, ensuring we can commercialise this innovation and create the next generation of flexible packaging. The focus is now on working in partnership with retailers and consumer brands to apply this new technology to their packaging. Every application will be different, presenting exciting opportunities to increase the levels of recycled content in flexible packaging, reduce material weight, consumption and carbon, and doing all of this without compromising operational performance or customer experience.’

Research and development of 2DPE was funded through the Innovation Navigator Programme (GM Business Growth Hub).

Mark Dickie, applications manager of the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre, added: ‘We are involved in hundreds of projects every year, which translate graphene into real world technologies and support commercial deployment. Duo’s innovation is delivering something we have never seen before in flexible packaging and has created an advanced material that can support retailers to transition to a circular economy.

‘2DPE is an excellent example of how graphene’s strength, durability and lightweight performance can be utilised to significantly enhance an everyday product. In this case, application of nanotechnology creates new possibilities for improving environmental and operational performance throughout retail supply chains.’

Duo developed the new product name 2DPE to recognise how two-dimensional (2D) graphene is being utilised to enhance Polyethylene (PE), while the ‘2’ also acknowledges the innovative, pioneering spirit of ‘Duo’.

Founded in 1988 by two entrepreneurs, the packaging manufacturer and consultancy was the first UK manufacturer to make mailing bags using I’m green bio based (a bio based polyethylene produced from a renewable source of sugarcane ethanol). Duo also won a King’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation for its DuoOptipac mailing bag.

Dale Brimelow, Duo co-owner and operations director, concluded: ‘The packaging industry is undergoing huge change, and one of the most significant drivers is the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). This impacts UK businesses selling in the Union and is seeing a much wider shift in the standardisation of packaging beyond the EU.

‘There is growing demand for packaging that is recyclable, uses higher levels of recycled content, uses resources more efficiently and is lightweight by design. At the same time, businesses have to protect product integrity, maintain operational efficiency and manage costs. Utilising graphene will transform the application of flexible packaging to meet this demand and has created an advanced material that’s fit for the circular economy.’