Multilayer Flexible Packaging With ArrowJet: Solving Barrier, Printability & Sustainability Head-On

Flexible packaging has come a long way. But as consumers demand longer shelf life, greener materials, vivid branding and compliance, the industry faces a tough trifecta: barrier performance, printability, and sustainability. Multilayer constructions offer excellent protection but often at the cost of recyclability or print challenges. Let’s explore what’s changing, what’s possible, and how ArrowJet is playing a key role.

The Problem: Why Traditional Multilayer Flexible Packages are Becoming a Bottleneck

Many flexible packaging formats (for snacks, fresh food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, etc.) require protection against oxygen, water vapor, grease, aroma loss, etc. Traditional mixers of polymers, aluminium foils, and other barrier layers do this well. But:

1. These constructions are difficult to recycle under current waste stream frameworks. Mixed materials often end up unrecycled.
2. Printability becomes tricky because many barrier films are inert, low-surface energy (e.g. certain polyolefins, PET, aluminised film) which don’t adhere well to standard inks. Achieving good adhesion, color, drying speed, and durability under lamination, folding, heat etc. is a challenge.
3. Regulatory and environmental pressure is mounting to reduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs), use safer inks, and move toward mono-materials or easily separable/recyclable multilayers.

Types of Multilayer Flexible Packaging & Barrier Film Innovations

Here are the common multilayer structures and recent innovations:

Type of Multilayer Structure	Typical Layers / Materials	Barrier Function	Challenges
Polymer/Polymer Multilayers	Combinations like PET / EVOH / PE; PP / EVOH / PP; Nylon / PE etc.	Oxygen barrier (via EVOH), moisture barrier (PE, PP), mechanical strength (PET, Nylon).	Incompatibility for recycling; difficulty in separating layers; printability on inner or outer surfaces; cost.
Aluminium Foil-Based Laminates	Alu foil sandwiched between PET/PE or paper/PE etc.	Excellent gas, moisture, light barrier; often for foods needing long shelf life.	Heavy, often non-recyclable; foil adds cost; printing often needs special surface prep.
Paper-Polymer Multilayers / Functional Barrier Paper	Paper + bio-coatings or polyesters; paper + functional barrier layers (e.g. grease/oxygen/water-vapour barrier) (mondigroup.com)	Offers recyclable or compostable behavior; gives “paper feel” with barrier; uniforms reduce plastic use.	Barrier may be lower than foil; printability and durability under humid or greasy conditions; sealing issues.
Mono-materials + Coatings	Use of single polymer family (e.g. all polyolefins) with special coatings, or one polymer + bio-based coatings to deliver barrier traits. (American Coatings Association)	Better recyclability & simpler waste stream; often improved sustainability metrics; reduced complexity.	Coatings must meet barrier specs; adhesion and sealing; cost of coating technologies; maintaining barrier under flex, heat, moisture.
Biobased or Compostable Multilayers	Polylactic acid (PLA), biopolyesters, cellulose derivatives, etc. combined with barrier coatings or laminate layers.	Compostability; lower carbon footprint; meeting consumer eco demands.	Barrier performance often lower; moisture or heat sensitivity; print compatibility; cost; regulatory hurdles for compostability certifications.

Besides these, there are new barrier films using advanced materials (e.g. advanced EVOH grades, metal oxide coatings, nanocomposites, graphene laminates, etc.) to offer ultra-low permeation rates.

Advances in Sustainable Barrier Solutions

Some of the game-changers in barrier technology:

Functional Barrier Paper – Mondi’s “FunctionalBarrier Paper Ultimate” is one example: paper-based solution with ultra-high barrier against oxygen, water vapour, grease (OTR & WVTR < 0.5) that seeks to replace aluminium or plastic heavy multilayers. (mondigroup.com)
Mono-material Structures + Coatings – Replacing multiple polymer families with one (e.g. all polyolefin) plus coatings. Coatings can achieve needed oxygen or moisture barrier while allowing greater recyclability. (American Coatings Association)
Better Barrier Films – New versions of EVOH, nylon/EVOH composites, thermoforming barrier films; tailor-made to extend shelf life, reduce weight, better machinability. (vishakhapolyfab.com)
Bio-coatings and Biobased polymers – Using bio-derived polymers, coating with bio-materials, or incorporating biodegradable layers. These often trade off some performance, so R&D is focused on improving their barrier while retaining eco credentials. (PMC)

The Printability Challenge & Role of Inks

Even with excellent barrier films, printing (especially high-quality brand graphics, durable labels, etc.) faces hurdles:

Low surface energy materials resist ink adhesion.
Drying speed can be slow.
Additional steps like priming, corona treatment, or specialized coatings may be required.
Solvent-based or UV inks may offer performance, but they often involve higher VOCs, more difficult for food-grade compliance, or less friendly for recyclability. (Flexographic Technical Association)

Rise of Water-Based Pigment Inks

Water-based pigment inks are one of the most promising solutions:

They reduce VOC emissions; better for environmental compliance and operator safety. (Flexographic Technical Association)
Pigment particles give better colorfastness and durability compared to dyes.
Modern formulations allow better adhesion even on low energy surfaces (with treatments or primers), faster drying, and better resistance to wash-off, lamination, abrasion etc. (Flexographic Technical Association)
Examples: Kao’s LUNAJET®, which is a water-based pigmented inkjet ink designed for film printing with low VOCs, fast drying and food-packaging compliance. (kao.com)
DuPont’s Artistri water-based pigment inks also designed for food packaging digital print applications. (dupont.com)

ArrowJet’s Solution: Bridging the Gap

ArrowJet is stepping into this junction of barrier performance, printability, and sustainability. Here’s how:

Water-based pigment ink technology: ArrowJet has developed presses and ink systems (e.g. ArrowJet Bolt, Aqua Series) that are designed to use Nestlé-compliant water-based pigment inks. These systems bring • low VOC emissions • safe operations • compatibility with flexible packaging film substrates. (Arrow Systems, Inc.)
Modular workflows with finishing & lamination: ArrowJet’s setups allow inline priming, varnishing, and finishing, which helps with adhesion, durability and visual quality without needing heavy solvent or UV processes that compromise recyclability. (Arrow Systems, Inc.)
Flexibility for multilayer designs: The equipment supports switching between substrates (film, laminated, printed then laminated, etc.), enabling businesses to use sustainable barrier films or paper-based barrier layers without losing print quality. The modular approach allows adapting to different barrier demands (e.g. for food, cosmetics, pharma) while keeping the process efficient. (Arrow Systems, Inc.)
Compliance & certification focus: By designing systems to work with inks and barrier layers that meet food safety, regulatory requirements, sustainable design mandates, ArrowJet helps converters avoid the trap of getting beautiful packaging that fails regulatory or environmental audits. (Arrow Systems, Inc.)

Industries Benefiting Most

Here are some key sectors where these innovations matter the most:

Food & Beverage: Snacks, fresh meat/fish/produce, ready meals, coffee, dairy—everything needs strong oxygen/water barriers.
Pharmaceutical & Medical: Sterility, barrier against moisture and gases, print for dosage, lot numbers.
Personal Care & Cosmetics: Barrier against light, air, moisture; aesthetic printing is important.
Pet/Fertilizer/Agricultural & Industrial chemicals: Need strong barrier to preserve product, often exposed to harsh conditions.

Retail & Consumer Goods: Packaging aesthetics, shelf impact, sustainability credentials increasingly demanded by consumers and regulators.

What Still Needs Solving & What to Watch For

To fully realise sustainable multilayer flexible packaging with excellent barrier + print:

Improving recyclability of multilayers: either via mono-materials, peelable layers, or bio-coatings.
Lowering the cost of sustainable barrier films and bio-polymers so adoption is feasible at scale.
Accelerating ink technologies: faster drying, better adhesion on tricky films without heavy pre-treatment.
More infrastructure & policy to accept and process recycle-streams of flexible materials.
Life-cycle assessment (LCA) transparency so brands can verify environmental credentials.

Conclusion: Sustainability Doesn’t Mean Compromise

Multilayer flexible packaging no longer has to force trade-offs. With innovations in barrier films, coatings, mono-materials, and especially with water-based pigment inks, the industry is trending toward solutions that protect product, satisfy brand expectations, and align with environmental regulations.

ArrowJet is among the companies helping make that bridge real: enabling high performance printing on sustainable barrier layers, ensuring compliance, and keeping visual quality and efficiency high. For any brand or converter looking to future-proof packaging, understanding the barriers (literally) and the printable layers is the first step—and integrating systems like ArrowJet is a strong next one.