Siegwerk’s Cirkit Oxybar White looks to redefine flexible packaging
Global printing ink and coating specialist Siegwerk has unveiled Cirkit Oxybar White, a dual-function technology that integrates an oxygen barrier and premium white ink into a single printable layer.
For flexible packaging producers and converters, this development moves barrier functionality out of traditional, multi-layer material films and directly into the printed ink layer itself.
Streamlining production complexity
Traditionally, extending the shelf life of oxygen-sensitive goods required highly complex, multi-layered laminates containing specialised materials like ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH), polyvinylidene chloride (PVdC), aluminium foil, or metallised films. Managing these separate material layers drives up raw material costs, requires multi-step processing, and introduces supply chain bottlenecks.
Cirkit Oxybar White eliminates these additional steps. By combining a high-performance oxygen barrier with a functional backing white ink, converters can apply both critical elements simultaneously in a single, inline pass using standard printing equipment. This effectively turns standard backing white into an active barrier layer without adding machinery, slowing line speeds, or demanding extra processing time.
Operational efficiency and on-press control
Beyond material reduction, the formulation delivers a bright, high-opacity white base print with roughly 60% opacity, ensuring the aesthetic standards of premium retail packaging are maintained.
Crucially for press operators, the ink features a highly visible laydown. This allows for simple, real-time on-press visual quality control, enabling teams to spot and rectify irregularities instantly, minimise waste during production runs, and secure precise functional protection across the substrate.
Unlocking high-quality recyclability
As global regulatory pressures mandate more circular designs, producers face intense pressure to abandon multi-material plastics, which are notoriously difficult to recycle. Siegwerk’s new functional ink acts as a direct enabler for the “mono-material transition”.
By handling the oxygen and aroma protection entirely within the printable layer, producers can substitute heavy multilayer laminates for easily recyclable mono-material polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP) structures, as well as paper substrates. For shelf-stable dry foods, coffee, tea, nuts, and pet food sectors — which rely heavily on oxygen protection but do not always require heavy water-vapour barriers — this unlocks true, high-quality circularity without sacrificing product integrity or shelf-life stability.
