Mono-Material Packaging Durability Patent Landscape 2026
Activity in mono-material packaging durability peaked in 2021 and has since eased, with 44 patent families on record concentrated among a small group of materials and packaging specialists. DI MAURO OFFICINE GRAFICHE and SABIC Global Technologies jointly lead by family count, and Europe is the primary filing jurisdiction.
Two co-leaders dominate a small, concentrated field
The corpus stands at 44 patent families, with DI MAURO OFFICINE GRAFICHE and SABIC Global Technologies BV each holding 9 patent families — a shared leadership position that signals no single actor has yet established decisive IP control.
The top five filers account for 70% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, pointing to a markedly concentrated competitive structure where a handful of specialised materials producers and converters define the technical agenda.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DI MAURO OFFICINE GRAFICHE | 9 | |
| 2 | SABIC Global Technologies BV | 9 | |
| 3 | Mondi AG | 6 | |
| 4 | Zacros Corp. | 4 | |
| 5 | Sonoco Development Inc. | 3 | |
| 6 | UFLEX Ltd. | 3 | |
| 7 | IND TERMOPLASTICA PAVESE SPA | 2 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Unilever Global IP Ltd. | 2 | |
| 9 | Societe des Produits Nestle S.A. | 2 | |
| 10 | Herbert Ospelt Anstalt | 1 | |
| 11 | Right 2 Fun Paradigm Pte Ltd | 1 | |
| 12 | Arkema France SA | 1 | |
| 13 | Yanfeng International Automotive Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 |
The co-leaders’ positions imply that durable mono-material structures are being approached from two distinct angles — printing and converting (DI MAURO) and polyolefin compound design (SABIC) — creating a technology landscape with complementary rather than fully overlapping claims.
Filing counts for 2024 and 2025 are likely understated due to standard patent publication lag; the apparent recent dip should not be read as a loss of commercial interest. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2021 filing surge followed by easing; laminates dominate the technology mix
The annual trend and the IPC branch breakdown together reveal both the pace of competitive entry and the technical directions that have attracted the most attention in this field.
Annual filing trend
Filings climbed sharply from 2019 to a clear peak in 2021, then moderated through 2022–2024. The 2025 and 2026 data points are subject to publication lag and should be treated as provisional lows rather than confirmed signals of further decline.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B32B (layered products and laminates) is the dominant class, reflecting the structural challenge of achieving durability within a single-polymer system. C08J (polymer processing and solutions) and B65D (containers and packaging) form a secondary tier, together covering the material treatment and end-use dimensions of the field.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Laminated monomaterial polyethylene film
The present invention relates to a laminated polyethylene film comprising: (a) a first film; and (b) a second film; wherein the first and the second film are adhering to one another to form a laminate; wherein ⋅ the first film is a bi-directionally oriented film; and ⋅ the second film is a blown film; wherein the first film comprises or consists of… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
Open this patent in Eureka →| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thermally laminated polyethylene-based "monomateri… | 8 |
| 2 | Bag comprising a bi-directionally oriented polyeth… | 6 |
| 3 | Food package | 4 |
| 4 | Food package | 4 |
| 5 | Container assemblies with paper-based end closures | 3 |
| 6 | Laminated monomaterial polyethylene film | 2 |
| 7 | Multilayer Mono-Material Polyethylene (PE) Assembl… | 1 |
| 8 | Container assemblies with paper-based end closures | 1 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
What the IP structure means for R&D investment decisions
The field’s maturity trajectory, competitive concentration, collaborative patterns, and jurisdictional spread each carry distinct implications for where new entrants and incumbents should focus resources.
Post-peak but not exhausted
The lifecycle stage is classified as Decline, with annual filings easing back from the 2021 peak. However, the small absolute corpus size means the total addressable IP space is far from fully claimed. New entrants filing now face lower crowding but must position claims carefully against the existing laminate-focused prior art.
Post-peak · 2021 apexHigh concentration among five filers
The top five filers hold 70% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, and the top two each hold 9 patent families. This concentration means a new entrant building a foundational position must either differentiate technically from layered PE structures or engage with licensing from the co-leaders. The mid-tier — Mondi AG at 6 families, Zacros Corp at 4 — suggests a viable challenger tier exists.
Top-5: 70% shareUnilever entities form the only visible co-filing cluster
The only recorded co-applicant activity involves Unilever IP Holding Ltd, Unilever Global IP Ltd, and Conopco Inc, each pair co-filing 2 patent families. This is an intra-group coordination pattern rather than a cross-organisation alliance, suggesting the broader ecosystem has not yet formed the supplier–brand-owner co-development partnerships that often signal a maturing technology platform.
Intra-Unilever clusterEurope and the US are the primary protection venues
Europe (EPO) leads with 12 patent records, closely followed by the United States with 11 and WIPO (PCT) with 8 — indicating that key players are pursuing international protection routes. India, with 7 records, stands out as a notable secondary market, consistent with the presence of UFLEX Ltd in the applicant ranking. Canada and Mexico represent smaller but active secondary jurisdictions.
EPO · US · PCT · IndiaGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| Unilever IP Holding Ltd. | Unilever Global IP Ltd. | 2 |
| Unilever IP Holding Ltd. | CONOPCO INC | 2 |
| Unilever Global IP Ltd. | CONOPCO INC | 2 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
DI MAURO and SABIC lead on laminates; Mondi is the fastest-moving challenger
The two co-leaders approach durable mono-material structures from complementary technical angles, while Mondi AG has entered as a new filer in the recent window, signalling that European paper and flexible packaging producers are escalating their positions.
DI MAURO OFFICINE GRAFICHE
Holds 9 patent families with a technical focus concentrated in B32B 27 (layered products and laminates) and C08J 5 (polymer processing and solutions), reflecting a converter-led approach to achieving durability through film structure and surface treatment. Momentum data is not available in the evidence for this applicant, but their established corpus makes them the incumbent to benchmark against in laminate-based mono-material formats.
families: 9Mondi AG
Holds 6 patent families and is flagged as a new entrant in the recent filing window, with 4 recent patent families — the highest recent count among momentum-tracked applicants. Technical emphasis spans C08J 7 (polymer surface treatment) and B32B 27, suggesting a focus on coating and barrier enhancement within a recyclable laminate architecture. As a large integrated packaging producer, Mondi’s entry trajectory warrants close monitoring.
families: 6| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| SABIC Global Technologies BV | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Mondi AG | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| Sonoco Development Inc. | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| UFLEX Ltd. | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Societe des Produits Nestle S.A. | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches adjacent to the dominant laminate core
Several IPC classes appear at the periphery of the current corpus with low patent record counts. These are observations of relative sparsity; whether each represents a genuine R&D opportunity depends on technical fit and commercial context.
B65B · Packaging & wrapping (process)
With only 3 patent records, the packaging process side of mono-material durability — specifically how durable mono-material films are formed into finished packs — is sparsely covered relative to the structural laminate work in B32B. Process patents in this branch could provide freedom-to-operate protection at the converting and filling machine interface, a dimension not currently contested by the leading filers. Entry would require collaboration with packaging machinery OEMs or food producers already operating in the space.
Search this in Eureka →B29C · Shaping of plastics
Only 1 patent record covers plastic shaping methods in this corpus, despite the mechanical forming of mono-material structures being a key determinant of final durability. This sparsity may reflect that shaping IP is filed under broader plastics processing topics rather than within mono-material packaging specifically — making it both an observation of potential gap and a caution that freedom-to-operate analysis against adjacent B29C filings outside this corpus would be necessary before treating it as an open space.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ across technology branches
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | B32B 27 · Layered products & laminates | B32B 7 · Layered products & laminates | C08J 5 · Polymer processing & solutions | B65D 81 · Containers & packaging | B32B 1 · Layered products & laminates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SABIC Global Technologies BV | Strong · 9 | Moderate · 4 | Emerging · 1 | Absent | Strong · 7 |
| DI MAURO OFFICINE GRAFICHE | Strong · 9 | Emerging · 1 | Strong · 8 | Absent | Absent |
| UFLEX Ltd. | Strong · 3 | Moderate · 1 | Moderate · 1 | Moderate · 1 | Absent |
| Mondi AG | Strong · 5 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| IND TERMOPLASTICA PAVESE SPA | Strong · 2 | Strong · 2 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The current corpus contains 44 patent families in scope. This is a relatively small field, which means the IP landscape is not yet crowded and meaningful differentiation is still achievable for well-positioned entrants.
DI MAURO OFFICINE GRAFICHE and SABIC Global Technologies BV are joint leaders, each holding 9 patent families. Mondi AG follows with 6 patent families, and Zacros Corp holds 4.
Annual filings peaked in 2021 and have eased since, placing the field in a post-peak phase. The most recent filing years (2024–2025) are likely under-counted due to publication lag and should not be read as confirmation of continued decline.
Europe (EPO) leads with 12 patent records, followed closely by the United States with 11 and WIPO (PCT) with 8. India is a notable secondary venue with 7 records, reflecting activity from filers such as UFLEX Ltd.
B32B (layered products and laminates) is the dominant class, followed by C08J (polymer processing and solutions) and B65D (containers and packaging). The laminate-heavy composition reflects the structural challenge of achieving durability within a single-polymer system.
The only co-filing activity recorded is within the Unilever group, where Unilever IP Holding Ltd, Unilever Global IP Ltd, and Conopco Inc each co-filed 2 patent families with one another. No cross-organisation collaborative filings are present in the evidence.
Ready to map your own mono-material packaging IP landscape?
Join 18,000+ innovators using PatSnap Eureka to map any technology landscape: search 2B+ patents and papers, surface key assignees, and generate a report like this in minutes.
Disclaimer. This page is generated from PatSnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. PatSnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.