Working closely with partners from across the food packaging value network, UPM Specialty Papers is co-creating transformative solutions that reimagine the future of sustainable packaging. A long-standing relationship with Henkel, a worldwide leader in industrial and consumer businesses, has now resulted in a recyclable, heat-sealable packaging material compatible with existing packaging lines. Pushing the performance of barrier papers to an unsurpassed level of grease resistance, it offers a tried and tested concept for converters.
Reinventing the seal
The plastic coating traditionally required for protection and heat-sealing renders the final product difficult to recycle. Inspired by a shared focus on creating sustainable alternatives, UPM Specialty Papers and Henkel have reinvented the concept to help brand owners and converters meet ever growing consumer and regulatory demands for easy to recycle packaging.
“In line with our 2030 sustainability ambitions, our water-based LOCTITE LIOFOL HS 2809-22 RE heat seal and AQUENCE EPIX BC 6134 grease barrier coatings are easy to recycle, helping to recover more fibres and supporting a more circular economy. Together with UPM Specialty Papers, we have moved one step closer to bridging the gap between sustainable fibre-based packaging and traditional plastic packaging to support brand owners and converters in the transition to paper,” says Christin Noack, Market Strategy Manager Paper Solutions at Henkel.
Progress through partnership
Existing UPM Asendo™ and UPM Asendo™ Pro barrier papers provided the starting point. These recyclable barrier papers are produced with fibres from sustainably managed forests and offer grease and moisture resistance without the need for a plastic coating.
The partnership then set out to push the limits of performance to create food-safe, heat-sealed, paper-based packaging that can be recycled in existing fibre recycling streams. This is where Henkel’s expertise came into play with the optimization of its pioneering coatings specifically for the UPM papers, reinforcing their original barrier properties to offer unmatched levels of grease resistance.
more at: https://www.upm.com/about-us/for-media/releases/2023/04/upm-specialty-papers-and-henkel-create-a-sustainable-heat-sealable-packaging-concept-delivering-unrivalled-levels-of-grease-resistance/