Folding boxes 
Shipping boxes 
Stand-up pouch 
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Labels 
Paper cans 
Sample boxes Like PP, polyethylene (PE) belongs to the polyolefin group and is one of the most popular packaging materials due to its properties. Polyethylene is considered tough, stable and easy to weld. It is therefore mainly used as an internal sealing medium for various flexible packaging such as bags, flow packs and sachets. In modern mono-material structures, PE in the form of MDO-PE is also used as a PET substitute for printing films. So-called coex films are often used for flexible packaging such as stand-up pouches – in this process, EVOH barriers, for example, are already incorporated (extruded) into the PE film during film production.
Film types & applications
- Low-density polyethylene (LDPE / LLDPE / mLLDPE) is primarily used as an internal sealing medium in direct contact with the product. It offers excellent sealing properties, very high stability and reliably seals even contaminated areas. Common film thicknesses range from 15 to 300 µm.
- High-density polyethylene (HDPE / MDPE) is used for applications where higher temperature resistance and material rigidity are required. Common film thicknesses are 12–120 µm.
- Oriented polyethylene (MDO-PE/BOPE) is mainly used as an outer pressure film in mono-PE materials to increase the rigidity of the packaging and to enlarge the sealing window for processing the film. (Replacement for non-sealable PET). Typical film thicknesses are 15–25 µm.
Properties
PE films are softer and more elastic than PP films. The various types of PE (LDPE / LLDPE/ HDPE /...) allow the ratio of flexibility, stiffness and puncture resistance to be adjusted for each application. PE films are often transparent, but can also be produced in white.
PE films are considered a very good and often preferred sealing medium. The so-called SIT points start at ~84–92 °C for modern mLLDPE films. More common LDPE films respond at temperatures of ~95–105 °C, depending on the formulation. The temperature resistance of polyethylene films is fundamentally limited – their long-term resistance is ~80 °C. In contrast, PE films are very well suited for deep-freeze applications (depending on the formulation, up to -80 °C).
PE offers a good water vapour barrier (WVTR), while the oxygen barrier (OTR) is very limited. In practice, additional barriers such as EVOH or aluminium are used for high-barrier polyethylene packaging.
Recycling
Monomaterial composites based on PE can be recycled very well mechanically. PE packaging is disposed of in Germany in the yellow bag. In combination with other plastics, barriers, printing inks and adhesives, recycling can be negatively affected. PE films with ≤ 5 % EVOH (coex) or AlOx coating are considered fundamentally compatible/recyclable.
Sources as of 25 January 2025:
- PlasticsEurope (Polyolefine / Temperaturangaben LDPE);
- RecyClass (Natural PE Flexible Films – Barrier/Kompatibilität, inkl. EVOH ≤ 5 %);
- Bamps et al. (Review: SIT mLLDPE 84–92 °C; LLDPE > 100 °C)
