Welding of Polyethylene Films with a High Recycled Content

Plastic packaging offers significant potential for the use of recyclates, particularly polyethylene (PE). However, alongside ecological and economic benefits, processing challenges arise due to differences from virgin materials, such as material degradation and contamination. Therefore, the research project “CircularWeld” investigated PE recyclates and virgin materials, assessing their weldability. It was demonstrated that even the use of pure post-consumer recyclates can achieve high mechanical performance, provided that processing methods, welding techniques, and parameters are suitably adapted. This represents an important step towards establishing a comprehensive circular economy.