中文The race to compliant, circular flexible packaging just gained a serious new capability. European label and packaging specialist Masterpress has installed a Karlville Swiss pouch-making machine at its Białystok site, letting the company produce pouches from material containing more than 90 percent paper and more than 95 percent bio-based content — a move squarely aimed at the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation and the accelerating demand for recyclable formats.
By bringing pouch formation in-house, Masterpress connects its existing digital and flexographic printing with a new forming line. Surface-printed paper- and plastic-based materials can now move straight from printing to pouch formation, eliminating the intervening lamination or curing stage that normally adds lead time, cost and complexity. The machine was installed in August 2026 and became fully operational in September after operator training and material trials across formats and sizes.
The sustainability case is striking. Beyond the high paper and bio-based content, the material is free from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), two substances under intensifying regulatory and consumer scrutiny. For applications where barrier performance is critical, the structure still delivers an ultra-high barrier: under specified test conditions its oxygen transmission rate was below one cubic centimeter per square meter per day, while its water vapor transmission rate was below one gram per square meter per day, protecting shelf life for food and non-food goods alike.
Recyclability testing reinforces the claim. The material passed the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) method for recycling in standard paper mills and achieved Level A under the Aticelca 501 paper recyclability assessment. Those results apply to the substrate itself; the finished printed pouches will undergo their own recyclability testing before publication.
Commercially, the investment answers a clear brief from brand owners, retailers and consumers who want high-performance packaging that balances product protection, shelf life and end-of-life recyclability. Jakub Pędziński, business development leader for pouches at Masterpress, argues that pouches are “the future of sustainable packaging for many FMCG products” because of their low material weight and lower carbon footprint compared with glass, rigid plastic and metal. The line handles two-side-seal, three-side-seal and stand-up pouches, with or without zippers, including easy-opening zippers designed for future PPWR requirements.
Operationally, the Karlville Swiss uses eight independently controlled servo motors to manage feeding, sealing, cooling and cutting, giving operators fine control of material tension across single-layer and paper-based structures. Recipe-based set-up, quick-change systems and a low start-up scrap rate let brands pilot new materials and formats without committing to large volumes or buying their own pouch equipment. Energy use is deliberately modest at just 5 to 7 kilowatt-hours.
Masterpress’s focus on single-layer structures destined for either the paper or plastic recycling stream reflects a broader industry pivot: the winners in flexible packaging will be those who can deliver barrier and shelf life without sacrificing recyclability. By controlling the full print-to-pouch chain, Masterpress shortens lead times and tightens its own quality loop — a competitive edge as PPWR deadlines approach.
Source: https://www.labelsandlabeling.com/news/substrates-adhesives/masterpress-expands-sustainable-packaging-capacity
The timing of Masterpress’s investment is no accident. The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation is compressing the window in which converters can keep shipping multi-material flexible packaging that is hard or impossible to recycle, and brand owners are racing to lock in compliant formats before obligations bite. Paper-based pouches with high bio-based content sit at the centre of that scramble, particularly for dry food, pet food, spices and supplements where the barrier requirements are demanding but achievable.
Removing the lamination and curing stage is the quiet revolution here. Conventional pouch making typically prints, laminates and then forms, with each step adding lead time, energy and a second material layer that complicates recycling. By moving printed reels straight to forming, Masterpress collapses the chain and reduces the adhesive and solvent load — a meaningful sustainability and cost win that also speeds time-to-market for brand trials.
The recyclability credentials matter as much as the material mix. Passing CEPI’s paper-mill method and Aticelca 501 Level A signals that the substrate can flow through existing fibre-recovery infrastructure, which is the practical test regulators and retailers care about. The caveat — that finished, printed pouches still need their own testing — is an honest one, and it reflects the industry’s maturing understanding that recyclability is a property of the whole pack, not just the film.
For Masterpress’s commercial strategy, the Karlville Swiss line doubles as a customer-acquisition tool. Brands wary of committing capital to their own pouch equipment can pilot formats at Białystok, de-risking innovation. With recipe-based setup and quick-change systems keeping scrap low during start-up, the line is built for the short, iterative runs that accompany new product development. In a market where the winners will be those who make sustainable formats easy to adopt, that operational agility may prove as valuable as the pouch itself.
