Siegwerk, a provider of printing inks and coatings for packaging and labels, has introduced a new nitrocellulose (NC)-free toolbox designed to facilitate the creation of recyclable flexible packaging.

The NC-free toolbox aims to help the company's customers meet the latest recycling criteria while maintaining packaging performance for polyolefin (PO) solutions.

The solution combines Siegwerk's existing NC-free ink portfolio with new developments, offering solutions for both lamination and surface applications in gravure and flexographic printing.

Initially available in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, the toolbox enables the realisation of recyclable flexible packaging across various application segments.

It includes a full range of colours and overprint varnishes for gravure and flexo printing applications.

All solutions within the toolbox comply with current recycling guidelines and are offered as ready-to-use inks or as a masterbatch system.

Siegwerk's proprietary polyurethane resin technology, which replaces NC, is a key enabler for this new offering.

Although NC-based inks have been widely used due to their high resistance, fast drying, and excellent adhesion, they pose challenges for material recycling.

Organisations such as RecyClass and the German minimum standard have updated their regulations to limit NC content in PO-based packaging structures.

The launch of the NC-free toolbox for flexible packaging represents a step forward in meeting the growing demand for circular packaging designs that yield high-quality recyclate and adhere to the latest Design for Recycling guidelines.

In December last year, Siegwerk expanded its CIRKIT range with coatings to boost packaging recyclability and reusability.

The company said that these coatings maintain key functionalities such as barriers and sealability while supporting circular economy principles.