JP7659045B2 - Containers containing polyethylene laminates - Google Patents

Description

This application relates to a container comprising a polyethylene laminate.

Plastic packaging, including rigid bottles and flexible bags (also referred to herein as pouches), is widely used in a variety of applications. One of the most important requirements for plastic packaging, especially robust plastic packaging for products such as detergent powders or liquids, is the mechanical strength of the thermoplastic material used to prepare the plastic packaging, as it needs to withstand impacts to some extent and maintain the integrity of the packaging until the end of the product's use. To evaluate whether a plastic packaging is robust enough to accommodate the contents therein, several tests are used to measure the mechanical performance. The most common tests include tensile strength, seal strength, and drop tests. Tensile strength tests measure how much tensile stress will break a plastic film. Seal strength tests measure how much tensile stress will break the seal of a plastic packaging (such as a flexible bag). Drop tests measure the overall robustness of a plastic packaging by dropping the plastic packaging from a certain height and then checking whether any leakage occurs.

In particular, stand up pouches (SUPs) with bottom gusset features are one of the most widely used flexible packages due to their stand-up ability and improved use experience, and are typically used to contain powders or liquids of products such as in the field of fabric care. Such pouches have very high mechanical performance requirements to prevent leakage due to drops from high places or storage with other objects throughout the product life cycle. In this case, the choice of thermoplastic materials used to prepare such plastic packaging is very limited, since most thermoplastic materials cannot provide the required sufficient mechanical strength. Furthermore, to meet the mechanical strength requirements, laminates containing two or more layers of thermoplastic materials are commonly used. Currently, commercially available laminates that can pass the drop test for detergent pouches include polyethylene terephthalate/polyethylene (PET/PE) laminates, polyamide/polyethylene (PA/PE) laminates, PET/PA/PE laminates, and PET/vacuum metallized PET/PE laminates. However, none of these laminates are recyclable because they contain at least two different thermoplastic polymers. Therefore, there is a need to develop a laminate that has sufficient mechanical strength and is also recyclable.

Polyethylene (PE) is a common thermoplastic polymer for plastic packaging. However, PE films generally have low mechanical strength and heat resistance compared with other thermoplastic polymer films such as PET and PA. Recently, some new types of PE films, such as oriented PE films, have been developed to improve the mechanical properties of PE films. However, prior to the present invention, there are no known pouches made from monopolymer PE laminates that can pass drop tests under heavy loads of more than 1 kg, especially for liquid products. Therefore, plastic packaging such as stand-up pouches (SUPs) made from monopolymer PE laminates remains technically challenging for heavy-duty applications (especially drop tests) for liquids.

The present disclosure satisfies one or more of the above-mentioned needs based on the surprising discovery that a monopolymer PE laminate comprising a first layer of machine direction oriented polyethylene (MDO-PE), a second layer of biaxially oriented polyethylene (BO-PE), and a third layer of polyethylene (PE) can provide sufficient mechanical strength, and in particular can pass a drop test. Furthermore, a laminate according to the present disclosure can be recyclable because the laminate is a monopolymer PE laminate, i.e., the predominant thermoplastic polymer in the laminate is PE.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a container including a laminate, the laminate including a first layer of MDO-PE, a second layer of BO-PE, and a third layer of PE.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a laundry detergent bag for containing 0.1 kg to 3 kg of laundry detergent, the laundry detergent bag being constructed from a laminate including a first layer of MDO-PE, a second layer of BO-PE, and a third layer of PE.

In a further aspect, the present disclosure provides a laminate comprising a first layer of MDO-PE, a second layer of BO-PE, and a third layer of PE.

An advantage of the laminate is that it has sufficient mechanical strength to prevent leakage due to drops from height, storage of contents or puncture by sharp objects.

Another advantage of the laminate is that it can pass the drop test for detergent stand-up bags.

Another advantage of the laminate is that it can be used to create recyclable containers for detergent powder or liquid.

Another advantage of the laminate is that it allows for sufficient heat sealing between two laminates according to the present disclosure.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of particular embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading this disclosure.

The embodiments set forth in the drawings are exemplary in nature and are not intended to limit the invention, as defined by the claims. The following detailed description of exemplary embodiments can be understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings.
1 illustrates one embodiment of a laminate according to the present disclosure. 1 illustrates another embodiment of a laminate according to the present disclosure.

The following description provides an extensive description of many different embodiments of the present disclosure. This description should be construed as illustrative only and does not describe all possible embodiments, as describing all possible embodiments would be impractical, if not impossible. It will be understood that any feature, characteristic, component, composition, ingredient, product, step, or methodology described herein may be combined with or substituted, in whole or in part, for any other feature, characteristic, component, composition, ingredient, product, step, or methodology described herein. Numerous alternative embodiments can be implemented using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, and such embodiments would still fall within the scope of the claims. All publications and patents cited herein are incorporated by reference.

The present disclosure relates to a container comprising a laminate, the laminate comprising a first layer of MDO-PE, a second layer of BO-PE, and a third layer of PE. The total thickness of the laminate according to the present disclosure may be from 70 microns to 400 microns, preferably from 100 microns to 350 microns, more preferably from 120 microns to 300 microns, and most preferably from 140 microns to 250 microns. In particular, the first layer may have a thickness of from 5 microns to 50 microns, preferably from 10 microns to 45 microns, more preferably from 15 microns to 40 microns, and most preferably from 20 microns to 30 microns, and/or the second layer may have a thickness of from 5 microns to 50 microns, preferably from 8 microns to 45 microns, more preferably from 12 microns to 40 microns, and most preferably from 15 microns to 25 microns, and/or the third layer may have a thickness of from 10 microns to 250 microns, preferably from 30 microns to 230 microns, more preferably from 100 microns to 200 microns, and most preferably from 120 microns to 160 microns.

Preferably, the container may be recyclable. More preferably, the laminate according to the present disclosure may contain no more than 10% by weight, preferably no more than 7% by weight, more preferably no more than 5% by weight, and most preferably no more than 3% by weight of a thermoplastic polymer that is not PE.

Preferably, a laminate according to the present disclosure may have a tensile strength along the machine direction, as measured by the method of Test 2, of greater than 100 N/inch, preferably greater than 120 N/inch, more preferably greater than 130 N/inch, and most preferably greater than 140 N/inch.

Preferably, a laminate according to the present disclosure may have a tensile strength along the cross direction, as measured by the method of Test 2, of greater than 100 N/inch, preferably greater than 120 N/inch, more preferably greater than 130 N/inch, and most preferably greater than 140 N/inch; and/or preferably, a laminate according to the present disclosure may have a seal strength at the side seal, as measured by the method of Test 3, of greater than 70 N/inch, preferably greater than 80 N/inch, more preferably greater than 90 N/inch, and most preferably greater than 100 N/inch; and/or preferably, a laminate according to the present disclosure may have a seal strength at the bottom seal, as measured by the method of Test 3, of greater than 70 N/inch, preferably greater than 80 N/inch, more preferably greater than 90 N/inch, and most preferably greater than 100 N/inch.

Preferably, the container according to the present disclosure may be a flexible bag (also called a "pouch"), preferably a flexible stand-up bag. As used herein, the terms "stand-up bag", "Stand Up Bag", or "Stand Up Pouch" refer to a bag having a bottom gusset feature that allows the bag to stand up without being supported by any external object. In particular, the container according to the present disclosure may be a flexible bag with a spout, preferably a flexible stand-up bag with a spout.

As used herein, the term "spout" encompasses a spout assembly with or without a cap, specifically, the spout includes a spout body and a cap that is preferably separable from the spout body. The spout may have any suitable size, for example, a diameter of 0.5 cm to 10 cm. The spout may be located in any suitable location, specifically, the spout may be located at the top edge, for example, near the midpoint of the top edge (i.e., top spout pouch), or near the connection point between the top edge and the first side edge (i.e., corner spout pouch). The spout may have a center of gravity. The spout may have one or more features. As used herein, the term "feature" means any structural characteristic. The spout may be manufactured by a suitable process, such as, for example, injection molding, compression molding, and blow molding. And, the spout may be made from polyolefin, for example, PE or PP, preferably HDPE, more preferably a blend of HDPE and LLDPE.

Preferably, the container may contain 0.05 kg to 10 kg, preferably 0.1 kg to 5 kg, more preferably 0.2 kg to 3 kg of product, such as 0.1 kg, 0.2 kg, 0.3 kg, 0.4 kg, 0.5 kg, 1 kg, 2 kg, 3 kg, 4 kg, 5 kg, or any range thereof. More preferably, the product may be selected from the group consisting of a fabric care product, a home care product, a hair care product, a beauty care product, and a personal care product, preferably a laundry detergent product, more preferably a granular laundry detergent or a liquid laundry detergent.

The layers in a laminate according to the present disclosure may be arranged in any order. Preferably, the layers in a laminate according to the present disclosure may be arranged from outside to inside in the order i), ii), iii), or in the order ii), i), iii). In the context of the present disclosure, the term "inside" refers to the side of the laminate in a packaging (e.g., a flexible bag) that faces the contents contained in the packaging (e.g., detergent solution), and the term "outside" refers to the side of the laminate that is opposite the inside.

The entire laminate according to the present disclosure and the layers in the laminate may have different initial seal temperatures as measured by the method according to Test 4. In particular, the entire laminate according to the present disclosure may have an initial seal temperature of 125° C. or less, preferably 120° C. or less, more preferably 118° C. or less, and most preferably 115° C. or less, as measured by the method according to Test 4, and the first layer may have an initial seal temperature of at least 130° C., preferably at least 135° C., more preferably at least 140° C., and most preferably at least 145° C., as measured by the method according to Test 4.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a bag for containing 0.05 kg to 10 kg, preferably 0.1 kg to 5 kg, more preferably 0.2 kg to 3 kg of laundry detergent, the bag being constructed from a laminate including a first layer of MDO-PE, a second layer of BO-PE, and a third layer of PE.

In a further aspect, the present disclosure provides a laminate comprising a first layer of MDO-PE, a second layer of BO-PE, and a third layer of PE. Figures 1-2 show an embodiment of a laminate according to the present disclosure.

Figure 1 shows a laminate 1 including a first layer 11 of MDO-PE, a second layer 12 of BO-PE, and a third layer 13 of PE, without showing any adhesive between the layers.

Figure 2 shows a laminate 1 including a second layer 21 of BO-PE, a second layer 22 of MDO-PE, and a third layer 23 of PE, without showing the adhesive between the layers.

Polyethylene ("PE")
The laminates of the present disclosure include polyethylene (PE) as the primary thermoplastic polymer (i.e., PE-based laminates). In turn, the PE component may preferably include one or more classes (or subclasses) of PE polymers. PE is generally classified as high density polyethylene (HDPE, density 0.941 g/cc and above), medium density polyethylene (MDPE, density 0.926-0.940 g/cc), low density polyethylene (LDPE, density 0.910-0.925 g/cc), and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE, density 0.910-0.925 g/cc). See, e.g., ASTM D4976-98: Standard Specification for Polyethylene Plastic Molding and Extrusion Materials. These PE categories can then be further divided into monomodal or multimodal (e.g., bimodal) subcategories.

One of the major uses of polyethylene (HDPE, LLDPE, and LDPE) is in film applications, such as shopping bags, institutional and consumer trash bin liners, merchandise bags, shipping bags, food packaging films, multi-layer bags, liners, produce bags, stretch wrap, shrink wrap, etc. Important physical properties of PE-based film layers can include tear strength, impact strength, tensile strength, stiffness, and clarity. Depending on the application and/or desired film properties, different combinations of PE categories and sub-categories are used herein. In some embodiments, the PE component in the laminates of the present disclosure will include a level of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) polymer.

At least one layer of the film comprises 70% to 99% by weight of the PE component of the at least one layer of the film. Preferably, at least one layer of the film comprises 75% to 98% by weight of the PE component of the at least one layer, more preferably 80% to 95% by weight, and even more preferably 82% to 93% by weight. The PE component has at least one PE polymer, optionally two or more PE polymers. At least one layer of the film comprises 70% to 99% by weight of the at least one layer of the at least one PE polymer of the PE component. Preferably, at least one layer of the film comprises 75% to 98% by weight of the at least one layer, more preferably 80% to 95% by weight, and even more preferably 82% to 93% by weight of the at least one layer of the at least one PE polymer of the PE component.

In some embodiments, at least one film layer comprises about 1% to about 100% by weight of the PE component LLDPE polymer. More preferably, the LLDPE is 25% to 100% by weight (in at least one film layer), alternatively 25% to 90% by weight, even more preferably 30% to 100% by weight, and even more preferably, the LLDPE is greater than 50% by weight, preferably greater than at least 60% by weight, more preferably greater than at least 70% by weight of the PE component.

In some embodiments, at least one film layer comprises HDPE or MDPE polymer at 1% to 100% by weight of the PE component. More preferably, HDPE or MDPE is 10% to 80% by weight of the PE component (in at least one film layer), alternatively 20% to 60% by weight, and even more preferably 30% to 50% by weight.

Suitable PE suppliers/products include Dowlex™ from Dow Chemical, Borstar™ from Borealis and Borouge, and Enable™ from Exxon Mobile.

Machine Direction Oriented Polyethylene (MDO-PE)
The laminate of the present disclosure includes a layer of machine direction oriented polyethylene (MDO-PE). The machine direction (MD) is also known as the longitudinal direction (generally perpendicular to the traverse direction (TD)). MD orientation is the preferred initial stage after the unconverted film is formed. During MD orientation, the unconverted film from the blown or cast line is heated to an orientation temperature via one or more hot rollers. The heated film is fed into a slow stretch roll having a nip roller with the same rolling speed as the heated roller. The film then enters a fast stretch roll. The fast stretch roll has a speed 2-10 times faster than the slow stretch roll, which can effectively stretch the film continuously. There may be another fast stretch roll that is even faster than the first fast stretch roll so that the film undergoes two stages of stretching. Between the two stretch stages there is another set of heated rolls that sets the temperature of the film after the first stretch and before the second stretch. The temperatures in these two drawing stages may be the same or different. The orientation may be a one-stage draw instead of a two-stage draw.

The total MD stretch ratio is from 2:1 to 10:1, more preferably from 3:1 to 9:1, and even more preferably from 5:1 to 8:1. The total MD stretch ratio includes all orientation stages. For example, if two stages of orientation are used with a first stretch ratio of 2:1 and a second stretch ratio of 3:1, then the total stretch ratio is 6:1.

The orientation temperature in MD orientation is about 50°C to less than 140°C, preferably less than 130°C, more preferably less than 120°C, alternatively 60°C to 120°C, or less than 115°C, or 70°C to 115°C. The temperature also depends on the processing speed. Generally, higher processing speeds require relatively higher temperatures due to the relatively short contact time between the film and the hot roller. Slower processing speeds require relatively lower temperatures due to the longer contact time.

The typical thickness of the MDO-PE layer is between 5 microns and 50 microns, preferably between 10 microns and 45 microns, more preferably between 15 microns and 40 microns, and most preferably between 20 microns and 30 microns.

Biaxially Oriented Polyethylene (BO-PE)
The laminates of the present disclosure include layers of biaxially oriented polyethylene (BO-PE). BO-PE films are films that are stretched in both MD and TD, resulting in molecular chain orientation in two directions. One of the common processes for preparing BO-PE is a sequential process, where a thick extruded sheet is heated to its softening point (not melting point) and mechanically stretched in the machine direction using heated rollers, followed by stretching in the transverse direction, i.e., perpendicular to the direction of travel, in a heated oven. It is also possible to stretch the film in both directions simultaneously, but the equipment required for this is somewhat more complex. In particular, BO-PE can be produced by a tubular process, where tubular bubbles are expanded, or a tenter frame process, where a thick extruded sheet is heated to its softening point (not melting point) and mechanically stretched. Biaxially oriented polyethylene film processes are disclosed, for example, in patents WO 201270373 (A1), US 10363700 (B2), and US 6689857 (B1).

The MD stretch ratio may be from 4.5:1 to 6:1 and the TD stretch ratio may be from 7:1 to 8:1, although these ratios are fully adjustable.

Typical thicknesses of the BO-PE layer are between 5 microns and 50 microns, preferably between 8 microns and 45 microns, more preferably between 12 microns and 40 microns, and most preferably between 20 microns and 40 microns.

Test Methods Test 1. Drop Test The drop tests performed in this disclosure are based on the Neyer drop test as follows.

Thirty filled pouches are subjected to free-fall tests from heights ranging from 73.9 cm to 182 cm. In particular, every single pouch is dropped 4-5 times from 73.9 cm (twice on the base, once on the front, once on the back, and once on the spout (if it has to be turned down during the drop)) to see if it passes (no leaks) or fails. If it passes at 73.9 cm, the free-fall test is repeated from the increased heights to 182 cm or until it fails at a height. The acceptable height is calculated by the average of the maximum height minus 3 standard deviations for the resulting total of 30. The success criterion is >/= 1.0 meter acceptable height. Test conditions are room temperature (25°C).

Test 2. Tensile strength test Tensile strength is measured at room temperature with an Instron tensile tester along both the machine direction and the cross direction. The samples are obtained by cutting the body or bottom of the pouch into film strips with a width of 25.4 mm and a length of 250 mm. The travel speed of the tensile tester (crosshead) is 300 mm/min. The breaking force of each film strip is recorded as the result, i.e., the tensile strength along the machine direction and the tensile strength along the cross direction.

Test 3. Seal strength test The seal strength is also measured with an Instron tensile tester at room temperature. Samples are obtained by cutting the sealed laminate into film strips with a width of 25.4 mm at different positions of the pouch. For side seals, samples are obtained at six different positions (three on the left and three on the right), and for bottom seals, samples are obtained at six different positions (three on the front and three on the back). The travel speed of the tensile tester (crosshead) is 300 mm/min. The average of the separation force of the film strips from both different positions of the side seal and different positions of the bottom seal is recorded as the result, i.e., the seal strength of the side seal and the seal strength of the bottom seal.

Test 4. Measurement of Initial Sealing Temperature The initial sealing temperature is measured with a hot tack instrument (SL-10, manufactured by Testing Machines Inc., New Castle-Delaware, USA), which allows precise control of the heat sealing temperature, time, and pressure by setting the control panel. The sample is heated on the instrument under 4 bar for 0.72 seconds by using different temperatures (starting from a relatively low temperature) to determine whether it can be sealed. If it cannot be sealed, repeat the test at a higher temperature. The minimum temperature interval for this instrument may be 1° C. If the sample can be sealed starting from a certain temperature, such temperature is recorded as the initial sealing temperature.

Example 1. Drop Test of Stand-up Pouches with Monopolymer PE Laminates Pouches were made using different monopolymer PE laminates, with Laminate 1 having a three-layer structure (MDO-PE, BO-PE, and PE) and Comparative Laminates 1 and 2 having a two-layer structure (MDO-PE and PE for Comparative Laminate 1, and BO-PE and PE for Comparative Laminate 2), respectively. Each laminate was prepared by dry lamination, where adhesive was applied onto one layer of film, allowed to dry, and then another layer of film was placed on the adhesive surface to form a bond. In the case of the three-layer structure, the same process was again applied between the third layer of film and the two-layer laminate. The specific structures of Laminate 1 and Comparative Laminates 1 and 2 are shown in Table 1 below. When measured by the method according to Test 4, the initial seal temperatures of MDO-PE, BO-PE, and PE are greater than 155°C, greater than 125°C, and greater than 125°C, respectively.

Stand-up pouches (SUPs) were made by using laminate 1 and comparative laminates 1 and 2. The SUPs included three panels, which were the front panel, the back panel, and the bottom panel. The pouch making process included film slitting, two-sided sealing of the body panels (front panel and back panel), two-sided sealing of the bottom panel, four-sided sealing of the gusset section, and gusset punching. In particular, the bottom panel was a rectangle that could be folded horizontally at the center line. The two edges along the long side of the bottom panel were sealed with the front panel and the back panel, respectively. In the gusset section, two-sided sealing of the body panel and four-sided sealing of the gusset section were formed simultaneously. The SUPs were made by using a Tiemin pouch making machine (sealing temperature: 125-130°C and sealing pressure: 3-4 bar) manufactured by Tiemin (Wuxi, China).

The pouches made from Laminate 1 and Comparative Laminates 1 and 2 had the same design, i.e., that of Ariel Japan, 1.35 kg heavy duty detergent liquid pouch (pouch dimensions were 198 mm width, 272 mm height, 55 mm gusset depth). The MDO-PE and BO-PE films used in all these laminates were the same. The blown PE used across all these laminates was the same PE composite, differing only in thickness. Pouches of all three laminates were made on the same pouch making machine. Pouches were successfully prepared using Laminate 1 and Comparative Laminate 1, but it was not possible to make pouches using Comparative Laminate 2, as it was not possible to heat seal the pouches without sealing issues. In particular, the pouches of Comparative Laminate 2 were either not sealed adequately, leaving a weak or open seal, or were oversealed with a significantly wrinkled or burnt seal. No operating window was observed on the pouch making machine. Water was filled to a target fill weight of 1.36 kg.

1: MDO-PE manufactured by Huangshan Novel Co., Ltd. (Huangshan, Anhui, China)
2: Guangdong Decro Film New Materials co. ,ltd. BO-PE manufactured by (Foshan, Guangdong, China)
3: Blown PE manufactured by Huangshan Novel Co., Ltd. (Huangshan, Anhui, China)
4: Blown PE manufactured by Huangshan Novel Co., Ltd. (Huangshan, Anhui, China)
5: The total thickness includes the thickness of all PE layers and the thickness of the adhesive between the PE layers.

The drop test was performed according to Test 1. Thirty pouches prepared as described above were subjected to the drop test at room temperature. The allowable height was calculated by subtracting three standard deviations from the average of the maximum heights of the total of 30 pouches. The results of the drop test are shown in Table 2 below, and show that Laminate 1 exhibits significantly better drop resistance than Comparative Laminate 1, but Laminate 1 has a thinner total thickness than Comparative Laminate 1.

Example 2. Improved Tensile Strength of 3-Layer Monopolymer PE Laminates Compared to 2-Layer Monopolymer PE Laminates Laminate 1 and Comparative Laminate 1 were subjected to tensile strength testing per Test 2. The results of the tensile strength testing are shown in Table 3 below, and show that Laminate 1 exhibits significantly improved tensile strength compared to Comparative Laminate 1, especially in the cross direction, although Laminate 1 has a thinner overall thickness than Comparative Laminate 1.

Example 3. Improved Seal Strength of 3-Layer Monopolymer PE Laminate Compared to 2-Layer Monopolymer PE Laminate Samples were taken from different locations, including at least three locations on the bottom and at least three locations on the side, of the stand-up bag prepared in Example 1, and then subjected to seal strength testing by Test 3. The results of the seal strength testing are shown in Table 4 below, and Laminate 1 shows much higher seal strength for the bottom seal of the stand-up bag compared to Comparative Laminate 1, but Laminate 1 has a thinner total thickness than Comparative Laminate 1.

Example 4. Successful Manufacturing of Stand-up Pouches with Spouts Having Monopolymer PE Laminates Similar to Example 1, stand-up bag pouches were each made using different monopolymer PE laminates (Laminate 1 and Comparative Laminate 1), except that the stand-up pouches contained a spout at the connection point between the top edge and the side edge of the pouch. The spouts were made from PE. During the manufacture of the pouches, the spouts were inserted into a continuous spout insertion machine (Totani ST-30 Spout Insertion Machine). In particular, the spouts were preheated (e.g., 200-240°C, 0.35 MPa, and 0.5 seconds). The spouts were then heat sealed at heating station #1 (e.g., 165°C, 0.2 MPa, and 0.2 seconds) followed by heat sealing at heating station #2 (e.g., 190°C, 0.1 MPa, and 0.1 seconds). Finally, it was cooled in a cooling station (0.35 MPa and 0.35 s).

As shown in Table 5 below, Laminate 1 had a three-layer structure (MDO-PE, BO-PE, and PE) and Comparative Laminate 1 had a two-layer structure (MDO-PE and PE for Comparative Laminate 1). Each laminate was prepared similarly to Example 1.

1: MDO-PE manufactured by Huangshan Novel Co., Ltd. (Huangshan, Anhui, China)
2: Guangdong Decro Film New Materials co. ,ltd. BO-PE manufactured by (Foshan, Guangdong, China)
3: Blown PE manufactured by Huangshan Novel Co., Ltd. (Huangshan, Anhui, China)
4: Blown PE manufactured by Huangshan Novel Co., Ltd. (Huangshan, Anhui, China)
5: The total thickness includes the thickness of all PE layers and the thickness of the adhesive between the PE layers.

The spouted stand-up pouches made from Laminate 1 and Comparative Laminate 1 had the same design, i.e., Ariel Japan, 1.35 kg strong liquid spouted pouch design (pouch dimensions were 198 mm width, 272 mm height, 55 mm gusset depth). The MDO-PE film used in all these laminates was the same. The blown PE used across all these laminates was the same PE composite, differing only in thickness. Pouches of all three laminates were made on the same pouch making machine. Pouches were successfully prepared using Laminate 1, but it was not possible to make pouches using Comparative Laminate 1, as the spout could not be heat sealed with the laminate without sealing issues. The results of pouch making are shown below. Additionally, several other sealing conditions were attempted for Comparative Laminate 1, but all failed.

Example 5. Drop Test of Spouted Stand Up Pouch with Monopolymer PE Laminate To determine whether the spouted stand up bags made from monopolymer PE laminate can pass the drop test, Ariel Japan, 1.35 kg strong liquid spouted pouch (pouch dimensions were 198 mm width, 272 mm height, 55 mm gusset depth) and Ariel Japan, 500 g strong detergent liquid spouted pouch (pouch dimensions were 140 mm width, 225 mm height, 38 mm gusset depth) were prepared similar to Example 4 using Laminates 2 and 3 shown in Table 7 below.

1: MDO-PE manufactured by Huangshan Novel Co., Ltd. (Huangshan, Anhui, China)
2: Guangdong Decro Film New Materials co. ,ltd. BO-PE manufactured by (Foshan, Guangdong, China)
3: Blown PE manufactured by Huangshan Novel Co., Ltd. (Huangshan, Anhui, China)
4: The total thickness includes the thickness of all PE layers and the thickness of the adhesive between the PE layers.

Drop test was performed according to Test 1. Thirty pouches prepared as above were subjected to drop test at room temperature. The acceptable height was calculated by the average of the total 30 maximum heights minus three standard deviations. The drop test results are shown in Table 8 below, and both the spouted stand-up pouches made from Laminates 1 and 2 can pass the drop test at both room temperature and 5°C. This is totally unexpected since there are no known spouted stand-up pouches made from mono-PE laminates that can pass the drop test.

All documents cited herein, including any cross-referenced or related patents or patent applications, and any patent applications or patents to which this application claims priority or the benefit thereof, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation of any document shall not be deemed to be prior art to any invention disclosed or claimed herein, or to teach, suggest or disclose such invention, either alone or in combination with any other reference or references. Furthermore, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.

Claims (8)

A container including a laminate, the laminate comprising:
i) a first layer of machine direction oriented polyethylene (MDO-PE);
ii) a second layer of biaxially oriented polyethylene (BO-PE);
iii) a third layer of polyethylene (PE);
The laminate has a tensile strength along the machine direction of greater than 140 N/inch (25.4 mm) when measured according to Test 2 described in the specification , and the laminate has a tensile strength along the cross direction of greater than 140 N/inch (25.4 mm) when measured according to Test 2 described in the specification , and the laminate has a seal strength at the side seal of greater than 100 N/inch (25.4 mm) when measured according to Test 3 described in the specification, and the laminate has a seal strength at the bottom seal of greater than 100 N/inch (25.4 mm) when measured according to Test 3 described in the specification ,
the first layer has a thickness of 20 microns (μm) to 30 microns (μm);
the second layer has a thickness of 15 microns (μm) to 45 microns (μm);
the third layer has a thickness of 120 microns (μm) to 160 microns (μm);
A container, wherein the container is a flexible stand-up bag having a spout. The container of claim 1 , wherein the container is recyclable. 3. The container according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the container contains between 0.05 kg and 10 kg of product. 4. The container of claim 3 , wherein the product is selected from the group consisting of a fabric care product, a home care product, a hair care product, a beauty care product, and a personal care product. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the layers in the laminate are arranged from the outside to the inside in the order of i), ii), and iii), or in the order of ii), i), and iii) . the first layer has an initial seal temperature of at least 130° C. as measured by the method of Test 4 described herein;
6. The container of claim 1 , wherein the laminate has an initial seal temperature of 125° C. or less, as measured by the method according to Test 4 described in the specification . A laundry detergent bag containing 0.1 kg to 5 kg of laundry detergent, the bag comprising:
i) a first layer of MDO-PE;
ii) a second layer of BO-PE; and
iii) a third layer of PE ;
The laminate has a tensile strength along the machine direction of greater than 140 N/inch (25.4 mm) when measured according to Test 2 described in the specification , and the laminate has a tensile strength along the cross direction of greater than 140 N/inch (25.4 mm) when measured according to Test 2 described in the specification , and the laminate has a seal strength at the side seal of greater than 100 N/inch (25.4 mm) when measured according to Test 3 described in the specification, and the laminate has a seal strength at the bottom seal of greater than 100 N/inch (25.4 mm) when measured according to Test 3 described in the specification ,
the first layer has a thickness of 20 microns (μm) to 30 microns (μm);
the second layer has a thickness of 15 microns (μm) to 45 microns (μm);
the third layer has a thickness of 120 microns (μm) to 160 microns (μm);
A laundry detergent bag, wherein the laundry detergent bag is a flexible stand-up bag having a spout. 1. A laminate used to prepare a flexible stand-up bag having a spout, comprising:
i) a first layer of MDO-PE;
ii) a second layer of BO-PE; and
iii) a third layer of PE ;
The laminate has a tensile strength along the machine direction of greater than 140 N/inch (25.4 mm) when measured according to Test 2 described in the specification , and the laminate has a tensile strength along the cross direction of greater than 140 N/inch (25.4 mm) when measured according to Test 2 described in the specification , and the laminate has a seal strength at the side seal of greater than 100 N/inch (25.4 mm) when measured according to Test 3 described in the specification, and the laminate has a seal strength at the bottom seal of greater than 100 N/inch (25.4 mm) when measured according to Test 3 described in the specification ,
the first layer has a thickness of 20 microns (μm) to 30 microns (μm);
the second layer has a thickness of 15 microns (μm) to 45 microns (μm);
The laminate , wherein the third layer has a thickness of between 120 microns (μm) and 160 microns (μm) .