The Huhtamaki team, together with partners Plastuni Lisses, member of the Somater Group, and Zalesi, have developed polyethylene (PE) based tubes that have been certified as fully recyclable within the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) container stream by RecyClass, the cross-industry initiative that works to advance plastic packaging recyclability and to establish a harmonized approach towards recycled content calculation and traceability in Europe. Availability of high-quality recycled material is still a major bottleneck in the transition to a circular economy and Huhtamaki Flexible Packaging is proud to offer these new fully recyclable laminate structures as part of the solution. According to the recycling analysis carried out by the Institut für Kunststofftechnologie und -recycling (IKTR), as per the RecyClass Recyclability Evaluation Protocol for HDPE containers, the recycled plastic generated in the mechanical recycling process can be used in high-value applications such as HDPE bottles. The new Huhtamaki range of recyclable tube laminate structures caters for a variety of end applications within the oral care and cosmetics segments. The polyethylene laminates contain an EVOH barrier, which represents less than 4% of the total weight of the tubes, and a PE tie layer which further improves their recyclability within the HDPE stream. The laminates can be printed with universal printing technologies for an attractive finish and to maximize shelf-appeal. The tubes have HDPE shoulders and a HDPE cap which further improves the quality of the final recycled plastics.
Huhtamaki Oyj specializes in developing, manufacturing and marketing paper, cardboard and plastic packaging. Net sales break down by market as follows:
- outside catering (59.7%): disposable packaging and tableware for the fast-food professionals and vending machine. Net sales break down by geographic area between North America (58.5%) and Europe/Asia/Oceania (41.5%);
- food processing industry and consumer goods (40.3%): flexible packaging, films, molded fiber packaging, etc. for the packaging of food, cosmetics, household products, etc.
Net sales are distributed geographically as follows: Finland (1.8%), the United States (34.9%), Germany (10.5%), the United Kingdom (7.8%), India (6.3%), Turkey (4.2%), Australia (4.2%) , Thailand (3.8%), Poland (3%), South Africa (2.8%), Czech Republic (2.5%), and other (18.2%).
HUHTAMÄKI OYJ 
