Composite Packaging Materials - TX

Composite Packaging Materials

Composite Packaging Materials are materials made of two or more different material types that are permanently bonded and cannot be separated manually without damaging the material. They provide properties like barrier performance, sealing, or stiffness, but complicate sorting and recycling.

Definition

According to the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (94/62/EC, Art. 3), composite packaging consists of different materials of which one forms an outer layer and one or more form inner layers. In the IMDE model, this definition applies at the level of a Packaging Material, not at the level of the complete packaging or the packaging element.

In IMDE terms: A composite packaging material is a single Packaging Material record that represents a permanently bonded structure of two or more materials, defined as Composite Materials (layers).

Relation to IMDE Hierarchy

Level	Description
Packaging System	Complete packaging setup for a product (for example, bottle + cap + label + carton). May include both composite and mono-material elements.
Packaging Element	A physical component of the system (for example, bottle, cap, trigger, label). An element can consist of one or more Packaging Materials.
Packaging Material	The material used by an element. A Packaging Material can be mono-material or composite. A composite material is built from multiple Composite Material layers.
Composite Material	A constituent layer within a composite Packaging Material, with its own material type, thickness or weight share.

Dominant Material (for EPR reporting and automation)

Composite is a structural description, not a fee class. For EPR reporting the composite must be declared under one material category using the dominant material rule, consistent with EU Decision 2005/270/EC.

Rule

• If one layer represents more than 50% of total weight, that layer’s material is the Dominant Material.
• If no layer exceeds 50%, use the outermost layer as the Dominant Material.
• If neither can be determined, report under Other Materials.

Automation field guidance

• PackagingMaterial.DominantMaterialCode stores the resolved material type.
• PackagingMaterial.Composition[] stores each Composite Material layer with weight share or thickness.

Pseudo logic

function ResolveDominantMaterial(composite):
  if max(layer.weight_share) > 0.50:
      return layer.material_of_max_share
  else if composite.has_outer_layer:
      return composite.outer_layer.material
  else:
      return OTHER_MATERIALS

Edge cases

Case	Example	Result
One layer > 50%	Paper 60% + PE 40%	Dominant = Paper → report as Paper & Cardboard
No layer > 50%, outer layer paper	Paper 40% + Plastic 35% + Alu 25%	Dominant = Paper (outer layer) → Paper & Cardboard
No layer > 50%, no clear outer layer	Mixed textile polymer pouch	Dominant not determinable → Other Materials

EPR Classification

Composite materials are not a separate EPR fee class. Each composite is reported under the dominant material as defined above.

Type of Composite	Dominant Layer	Typical EPR Fee Category	Example
Paper, plastic, aluminium laminate	Paper	Drink Cartons (Composite)	Tetra Pak, SIG Combibloc
Plastic multilayer (different polymers)	Plastic	Plastic – Rigid or Plastic – Flexible	PET/PE tray, PE/PP film
Paper, plastic laminate (no aluminium)	Paper or Plastic (by dominant rule)	Paper & Cardboard or Plastic	Paper bag with plastic window
Plastic, metal laminate	Plastic	Plastic – Flexible	Metallized coffee pouch
Mixed, non-dominant, unclear	–	Other Materials	Textile polymer mailer

Recyclability Impact

• Composite materials often hinder recyclability because layers cannot be separated into pure streams.
• Plastic composites with mixed polymer families (for example PET with PE, or PA barriers) or metallized layers are typically non-compliant for recyclability discounts.
• Paper based composites used as drink cartons can be collected and recycled in dedicated systems in some markets.

Examples

• PET bottle with PE sealing layer and EVOH barrier
• Coffee pouch with PET, aluminium, and PE
• Paperboard carton with a plastic window
• Paper, aluminium, PE laminated drink carton

Relation to Other IMDE Terms

• Packaging_Element_-_TX
• Packaging_Material_Classification_-_TX
• Polymers_-_TX