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Shipping boxes 
Stand-up pouch 
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Labels 
Paper cans 
Sample boxes The abbreviation EVOH stands for ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer. In flexible packaging, EVOH is used as a thin, organic barrier layer to protect products primarily from oxygen (and thus oxidation and aroma loss). In packaging films, EVOH is usually transparent and is therefore suitable for clear high-barrier packaging.
Properties
- Appearance: Transparent/clear
- Barrier: Very high oxygen barrier (O₂) and aroma barrier
- Layer thickness: Commonly 2–10 µm
- Note: Barrier performance depends on relative humidity
Application
EVOH is usually used as the middle functional layer in PP and PE films and is mainly used in food packaging such as bags, thermoformed films or tubes. The outer layers of PP and PE provide mechanical strength, sealing properties and an additional moisture barrier – the EVOH provides the oxygen and aroma barrier.
Barrier performance
In practice, EVOH primarily provides a very high oxygen barrier, which in turn can decrease depending on the relative humidity. In the overall composite, OTR and WVTR values of <= 1 are realistic, which means that EVOH barriers can be classified as ‘high barrier’ (depending on the overall composite and test conditions).
Recycling
An EVOH barrier can influence the recyclability of a packaging film depending on the layer thickness. The current design-for-recycling guidelines consider EVOH ≤ 5% of the structural weight to be easily recyclable. Additions of 5% can lead to process problems (gel formation, clouding, process instability).
Sources as of 23 January 2025:
- Frauenhofer-Institut für Verfahrenstechnik und Verpackung IVV;
- RecyClass;
- Kuraray
