SIBUR and Georg Polymer launch recyclable monomaterial film for food trays
Russian petrochemical group SIBUR has started industrial production of HAGL, a monomaterial polypropylene film for sealing ready-meal trays, developed at its Biaxplen site in Nizhny Novgorod region. The film has been tested at food packaging maker Georg Polymer, which plans a first industrial batch of trays using the material. The launch follows Russian rules requiring packaging producers to fund or carry out recycling, with a target of 100% packaging recycling by 2027.
Why this mattersA mono-PP tray-and-film system that skips sorting could displace PET/PE laminates in Russia's fast-growing ready-meal segment as extended producer responsibility rules tighten.
- HAGL film is made from PP H031 polypropylene at SIBUR's Biaxplen site in Nizhny Novgorod region.
- The film and tray form a monomaterial system that SIBUR says can be recycled without sorting.
- Georg Polymer has tested the film and plans a first industrial batch of trays using it.
- Up to 70% of prepared food in Russia is sold in hermetically sealed polymer trays, according to the source.
- Russia's 2024 waste law amendments require packaging producers to fund or carry out recycling, with a 100% packaging recycling target by 2027.
- Ready-made food packaging accounts for about 30% of Georg Polymer's sales, according to its flexible packaging materials head.