Siegwerk launches Cirkit Oxybar White

Siegwerk has launched Cirkit Oxybar White, an innovation that combines oxygen barrier performance and white ink functionality in one single layer. 

Conventional packaging structures require separate layers for oxygen protection and white opacity, adding complexity, materials, and processing steps. Cirkit Oxybar White eliminates this trade-off. 

By merging both functions into a single inline-applied ink, the solution delivers high oxygen barrier performance (OTR < 5 cc/m²/day at 50 percent RH), bright white, opaque finish for premium print quality and one-pass application via standard printing processes. 

This enables converters to replace two layers with one, simplifying structures without compromising performance.  

With Cirkit Oxybar White, Siegwerk introduces a new technological concept: Barrier Inks, where barrier functionality is no longer an additional layer, but an integrated feature of the ink itself. 

Of this new category, Siegwerk first launched Cirkit Greasebar White, where grease barrier and white ink functionality were both delivered in one layer. 

Now, Cirkit Oxybar White expands on that platform, providing oxygen barrier performance together with a white opaque finish. 

This shifts the paradigm from adding barrier materials to printing barrier performance, enabling converters to turn standard backing white into a functional layer and apply barrier in-line during printing, without extra process steps.  

The innovation comes at a time when the industry is under increasing pressure to simplify packaging and improve recyclability. 

Barrier inks and, specifically, Cirkit Oxybar White enable the replacement of conventional oxygen barrier materials such as EVOH, PVdC, Alu foil and metalized films, in segments not requiring additional WVTR barriers. 

It simplifies mono-material structures supporting design-for-recycling and reduces material usage and improves resource efficiency.  

At the same time, it allows converters to print quality and operational continuity using existing gravure and flexo equipment. 

Beyond its functional integration, Cirkit Oxybar White offers key operational advantages including white pigmentation which enables immediate verification of coating coverage. The optimized formulation supports higher press speeds compared to standard water-based coatings. 

This combination reduces both technical risk and total system cost, making barrier performance more accessible and scalable. 

‘With Cirkit Oxybar White, we are redefining what an ink can do,’ said Gilles Le Moigne, head of circular economy coatings at Siegwerk. ‘By combining oxygen barrier and white ink performance in a single layer, we eliminate complexity and open new possibilities for circular packaging design.’ 

This innovation lays the foundation for a broader shift toward functional inks, where printing becomes a central step in delivering packaging performance.