BarrierFlex®, high barrier laminates for sensitive products
BarrierFlex® is the range of high barrier laminates produced by VLM Poliplast in Romania. The structures combine a dedicated barrier layer, EVOH, a thin metallic layer or a ceramic coating, with layers of PET and polyethylene. They belong to different polymer families. They are chosen when the product needs protection that a monomaterial structure cannot deliver.
European Union trade mark, registered at the EUIPO under number 019287654.
This page describes the range: the three structures, what each is used for and where each one stops. How the barrier layers themselves work is covered on the EVOH and metallised film pages. The route designed for recycling, built on monomaterial structures, is EcoMonoFilm.
Where high barrier laminates are needed, and where the monomaterial route stops
Monomaterial structures cover most applications today. They do not cover all of them. There are three situations in which a single polymer structure is not enough, and that is where BarrierFlex comes in.
The first is a very long shelf life on products that are critically sensitive to oxygen. The barrier required there goes beyond what a thin EVOH layer between polyolefins delivers. A rigid PET support allows a more effective barrier layer. The second is products that degrade in light. A thin metallic layer deposited under vacuum stops light as well as oxygen and water vapour. The third is products that need a high barrier while staying visible, where a transparent ceramic coating keeps the product in sight.
PET brings stiffness, dimensional stability and a support for printing or metallising. Mixing polymer families is exactly what delivers the performance. It is also what moves the structure outside monomaterial recycling. The trade-off is stated, not hidden.
Two applications stay outside the range: aggressive retort sterilisation, and packs that need high puncture resistance or deep thermoforming. The market usually covers those with polyamide based laminates, and VLM Poliplast does not produce structures with polyamide. The material is described for reference on the polyamide film page.
The three BarrierFlex® structures: PET/EVOH/PE, metallised PET/PE and PET/AlOx/PE
The range has three structures, separated by the layer that creates the barrier. All three are produced by solventless lamination.
| Structure | Barrier layer | What it adds | Typical applications | Limitation |
| PET / EVOH / PE | EVOH | Very high oxygen barrier, on a rigid PET support for printing | Oxidation sensitive foods, long shelf life, modified atmosphere | EVOH is hygroscopic; the structure mixes polymer families |
| Metallised PET / PE | Thin metallic layer deposited under vacuum | A light barrier, on top of oxygen and water vapour | Coffee, snacks, light sensitive products | Opaque; the metallic layer blocks automated sorting |
| PET / AlOx / PE | Transparent ceramic coating | A high barrier that stays stable with humidity, product visible | Products sold on sight that still need a barrier | The coating is fragile under flexing and handling |
What barrier level each structure delivers
We do not publish OTR and WVTR ranges for the range as a whole. A barrier value belongs to one concrete structure, with given thicknesses, measured at a given temperature and humidity. Applied to a whole range it becomes a specification that cannot be honoured on every combination of layers. Values are issued on the technical data sheet of the validated structure, together with the measurement conditions.
| Structure | Oxygen barrier | Water vapour barrier | Light barrier |
| PET / EVOH / PE | The highest in the range when dry, falling as humidity rises | Given by the polyethylene layer | No, the structure stays transparent |
| Metallised PET / PE | High and stable with humidity | The highest in the range | Yes, the structure is opaque |
| PET / AlOx / PE | High and stable with humidity | High | No, the product stays visible |
What to ask for when you receive a barrier value, from us or from anyone else. A number on its own cannot be used. Next to it you need the temperature, the relative humidity and the test method.
Conditions are not the same everywhere, and that shows in the data sheets of the film producers themselves. WVTR is usually reported at 38 °C and 90% relative humidity, by ASTM F1249. OTR is reported at 23 °C, but the humidity differs: data sheets for metallised film give it at 0% relative humidity, by ASTM D3985, while data sheets for ceramic coated film give it at 50%. Two numbers of similar size can describe different performance. On top of that, the value on a film data sheet is not the value of the laminate that contains it. Lamination changes the result, and on coated films it can change it for the worse. That is why the value that counts is measured on the finished structure.
How to choose between the three BarrierFlex® structures
The starting point is not the barrier. It is what damages the product: oxygen, light, moisture or mechanical stress.
| If the product | Suitable structure | Why |
| Oxidises and has to stay visible | PET / EVOH / PE or PET / AlOx / PE | An oxygen barrier without losing transparency |
| Degrades in light | Metallised PET / PE | The only one of the three that also stops light |
| Is packed under modified atmosphere | PET / EVOH / PE | It holds the gas mix; machine compatibility is checked on the product |
| Has bones or sharp edges, or is deep thermoformed | Outside the range: the market uses polyamide laminates, which VLM Poliplast does not produce | The puncture resistance required goes beyond what PET gives at the same thickness |
| Needs a pack designed for a recycling stream | Not BarrierFlex, but EcoMonoFilm | Structures from different polymer families do not enter the monomaterial stream |
The last row is not a formality. If the product can live with the barrier that a thin EVOH layer between polyolefins delivers, then the correct structure is a monomaterial one. Not a BarrierFlex one. The choice between vacuum and modified atmosphere is treated separately, on the modified atmosphere packaging page.
BarrierFlex® and the PPWR: what changes from 2030
BarrierFlex structures combine polymers from different families. That is what gives them their performance, and it is also what takes them out of monomaterial recycling. Regulation (EU) 2025/40 has applied since 12 August 2026. From 1 January 2030, packaging that does not reach the recyclability grades set out in Article 6 cannot be placed on the market. The regulation also provides for extended producer responsibility fees modulated by recyclability criteria, which will work against mixed structures as each Member State applies it.
We do not work around this. We state it because the transition is planned early, not in the final year. Validating a new structure on a packaging line takes months, not weeks. The migration route, structure by structure:
| BarrierFlex structure | Taken over, where the product allows | What is lost in the change |
| PET / EVOH / PE | PE / EVOH / PE or BOPE / EVOH / PE | The stiffness of PET and part of the stability under print |
| Metallised PET / PE | MDO-PE / PE, or PE structures with a ceramic coating | The light barrier and part of the shelf life |
| PET / AlOx / PE | AlOx or SiOx coatings on a polyolefin support, as they become available | Today the coating is deposited on PET; a polyolefin support is the direction, not the current offer |
The last row shows the direction, not the current offer. Ceramic coatings on polyolefin supports are still in development at the film producers. For deep thermoformed packs and products with a high puncture risk, the market uses polyamide laminates today, outside the BarrierFlex range, with no monomaterial equivalent yet. How a pack is assessed by grade is on the PPWR recyclability grades page. The full timeline is on the PPWR regulation page. An indicative recyclability assessment of a structure can be made free of charge with tool.recyclass.eu, developed by Plastics Recyclers Europe.
Food contact and documentation for BarrierFlex® structures
Structures intended for food contact are developed in line with the framework Regulation (EC) 1935/2004 and with Regulation (EU) 10/2011. The overall migration limit is 10 mg/dm², expressed as 60 mg/kg in the situations the regulation sets out. The Declaration of Conformity is issued for the validated structure and for the application, not for the range. Overall migration testing is carried out at an accredited laboratory.
The shelf life of the packed product is not set from the packaging data sheet. It comes from the durability study run by the food business operator, on that product and its storage conditions. What a Declaration of Conformity has to contain is on the Declaration of Conformity page.
How BarrierFlex® is manufactured, and under which certifications
BarrierFlex® is produced at VLM Poliplast in a three stage process. Films are selected from producers who supply technical data sheets and certificates of conformity. They are laminated solventless, with two component solvent free adhesives. They are then converted into reels, bags or pouches, with quality control on thickness, sealing and, for food contact, migration.
Production is covered by the quality management system certified to ISO 9001 and, for structures intended for food contact, by the food safety management system certified to ISO 22000. Traceability runs from the reel received to the product delivered. Each batch can be accompanied by a technical data sheet and a Declaration of Conformity.
Frequently asked questions about BarrierFlex®
What is the difference between BarrierFlex® and EcoMonoFilm®?
The difference between BarrierFlex and EcoMonoFilm is the trade-off each range is built on. EcoMonoFilm keeps its mass in a single polymer family and is designed for the PE or the PP recycling stream, with compatibility assessed on each structure. Its barrier is the one a thin EVOH layer can deliver. BarrierFlex combines different polymer families and reaches a higher barrier, but it leaves monomaterial recycling. The choice is made on the product, not on preference.
Why does PET/AlOx/PE have no published values?
PET/AlOx/PE has no published values because its barrier depends on the integrity of the oxide layer, not on the recipe of the structure. The data sheet of the coated film gives a value, and the oxide layer is protected with a top coat precisely so that it survives lamination, printing and converting. A few nanometres of oxide can crack under flexing, under unwinding or under too much tension on the line. The value on the reel and the value on the finished pack can differ. A range published here would be quoted as a specification, so the value is confirmed on the actual structure and process.
Will BarrierFlex® structures be banned in 2030?
No, BarrierFlex structures will not be banned in 2030. From 1 January 2030 packaging that does not reach the recyclability grades required by the PPWR can no longer be placed on the market, and structures from different polymer families are the exposed ones. That is why this page carries a migration table. For each BarrierFlex structure it shows which monomaterial variant can take over, and what is lost in the change.
Why does the range not include a polyamide structure?
The BarrierFlex range does not include a polyamide structure because VLM Poliplast does not produce structures with polyamide. The role of polyamide in a laminate is not the barrier. It is puncture resistance and holding thickness in the corners of a deep thermoformed pack. For those requirements the market uses PA laminates from other producers, with no monomaterial equivalent yet. The polyamide page describes the material for reference, without an offer.
Can a structure be metallised and still be compatible with sorting?
No, a metallised structure does not stay compatible with automated sorting, because the metallic layer blocks near infrared detection whatever the polymer underneath. The transparent version, with an AlOx or SiOx coating, does not have that problem. How the layer is deposited, and why pinholes rather than the metal decide the barrier, are explained on the metallised film page, where the two solutions are also compared.
A BarrierFlex® structure is configured on the product, not picked from a list
Send the product, the target shelf life and the line it is packed on. We come back with the suitable structure, with the values measured on it, together with the technical data sheet and the Declaration of Conformity.
Related resources on barrier materials and monomaterial alternatives
EcoMonoFilm®
The route designed for recycling: monomaterial PE and PP structures, assessed on the complete pack.
EVOH oxygen barrier
What creates the barrier, how ethylene content scales it, and why humidity reverses it.
Metallised film
How the layer is deposited, why pinholes decide the barrier, and the comparison with AlOx and SiOx.
PET/PE laminates
The reference barrier duplex without a dedicated barrier layer, and its recyclability trade-off.
Flexible packaging materials
The full map: base polymers, barrier layers and structures, with a page for each material.
Barrier film, commercial range
The commercial counterpart: barrier structures configured for your product and your line.
Want an EcoMonoFilm structure for your product?
This page explains the range. Configuring the structure for your product and your line, samples and the technical assessment happen on the commercial mono-material film page.
Related resources
Mono-material PE film
The polyethylene family behind five of the eight structures: grades, sealing behaviour and where PE stops.
Mono-material PP film
The polypropylene family for flow-pack, hot filling and clarity, and the limits it brings to retort.
PPWR 2030: the mono-material transition
How the move from mixed laminates to recyclable structures is planned, and what changes at each phase.
PPWR recyclability grades
How a structure is assessed against the grades, and what the 2030 market threshold means in practice.