Compostable flexible packaging from paper laminate to produce wraps
BASF and the Swedish packaging material manufacturer BillerudKorsnäs have developed a unique home-compostable paper laminate for flexible packaging. It can be used to produce wraps with individually adjusted barrier properties e.g. for cookies, ice cream, cereal bars and dairy items as well as wrappers for fish, meat and cheese freshly sold in supermarkets. And it is a solution that meets today’s requirement for sustainability by being organically recyclable.
BillerudKorsnäs and BASF for home-compostable flexible packaging
Unique home-compostable paper laminate for flexible packaging. (photo: BillerudKorsnäs)
The multi-layer laminate consists of three basic components: BillerudKorsnäs‘ paper ConFlex® Silk, a sealing layer made of BASF’s certified home compostable and partly bio-based biopolymer ecovio® and BASF’s water-based adhesive Epotal® Eco 3675 X. All components are certified homecompostable according to official European certification schemes for home-composting.
The laminate contains a high share of renewables and extends the end-of-life options for multi-layer flexible packaging by being organically recyclable. The new home-compostable solution has the same performance features as conventional multi-layer packaging:
puncture resistant;
good printability;
excellent heat-seal properties;
can be processed on standard packaging machines.
The trend is moving from plastic to paper based packaging
According to the targets of the “European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy“ all plastic packaging should be recyclable or reusable by 2030. (photo: BillerudKorsnäs)
“We wanted to create a paper-based laminate with good heat-seal properties by using certified home-compostable components only”, says Amir Pourirani, head of global marketing Biopolymers at BASF. “There is a huge trend in society, in some countries driven by legislation, to move from plastic to paper-based packaging. Moreover, currently available multi-layer flexible laminates are difficult to recycle but the technical need is still present. In BillerudKorsnäs we found the ideal partner to develop a home-compostable solution based on paper with a broader end-of-life option for packaging while maintaining the technical performance of traditional laminates.“
The certified home compostable material for food packaging
Flexible packaging is certified homecompostable according to official European certification schemes for home-composting. (photo: BillerudKorsnäs)
According to the targets of the “European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy“ all plastic packaging should be recyclable or reusable by 2030.
“With BASF’s certified home-compostable biopolymer and adhesive, we found the ideal components to take the next step towards another sustainable solution for flexible packaging in our portfolio”, says Markus Saari, Business Development Manager at BillerudKorsnäs. “Our joint development represents a shift to paper-based and compostable material in order to replace traditional laminates for food packaging – meeting hygiene and barrier requirements, maintaining form and enabling many design possibilities just like conventional packaging but with the decisive added benefit that it is home-compostable.
