TAGS: Sustainability / Natural Coatings
Smart Planet Technologies develops performance, sustainability, and cost innovation with HyperBarrier™ for paper-based packaging. This revolutionary innovation is a ternary nanocomposite coating. It provides a 20x improvement in oxygen barrier performance over conventional PU coatings in paper-based flexible packaging. Additionally, it offers a 15x improvement in moisture barrier performance.
The innovation provides new opportunities for brands to embrace paper-based packaging over plastic where conventional barrier coatings have been insufficient in performance. Smart Planet Technologies is a sustainable packaging solutions provider.
Challenges Before HyperBarrier™
While many brands have looked to move their flexible packaging from plastic to paper-based formats, there have been numerous obstacles:
- Insufficient barrier performance: Existing 100 percent plastic coatings for paper packaging often struggle to match the oxygen and moisture barrier of plastic packaging. This compromises product freshness and shelf life
- Recyclability roadblocks: Many barrier coatings render fiber packaging to be non-recyclable. This is added to landfill waste and undermines sustainability efforts
- Costly complexities: Multi-layer film laminations and treatments like EVOH and metallization inflate costs and further complicate recycling
For many flexible packaging applications, the negatives of a switch far outweigh the positives. This has forced many brands to stay with plastic packaging. It falls short of their objectives to use more sustainable materials.
New Opportunities with HyperBarrier™
HyperBarrier™ represents a monumental leap forward in flexible packaging. This innovative coating revolutionizes the game by tackling these challenges head-on:
- Unmatched oxygen barrier in a single-layer barrier coating: HyperBarrier™ delivers a twenty-fold improvement over polyethylene coatings. This ensures product integrity and extends shelf life for a wide range of applications
- Cost-effective choice: Its single-layer application eliminates the need for complex and expensive multi-layer structures. This offers a more affordable and efficient solution
- Recyclability: As with the suite of EarthCoating products, HyperBarrier™ creates paper-based flexible packaging materials. These are compatible with existing paper recycling streams for uncoated paper. It improves bale quality of recovered paper and reduces waste. As with EarthCoating, HyperBarrier™ is an inert component in paper recycling. It is removed in the same process as clay coating
- Plastic reduction: HyperBarrier™‘s 40 percent mineral content further reduces plastic content beyond simply switching from plastic to paper packaging
- Fit for purpose: HyperBarrier™ has all the capabilities of conventional coatings. It includes heat-sealability and food contact
- Industry-friendly integration: This drop-in solution requires no capital expenditure or changes to existing manufacturing processes. This ensures smooth adoption
Innovation Within HyperBarrier™
HyperBarrier™ builds on the merits of high mineralization of coatings. It is pioneered by Smart Planet Technologies and its business partners in its EarthCoating barrier coating solution. The optimization of the blending of certain minerals and polymers provides a better result in attributes for barrier coatings than polymer alone.
EarthCoating pioneered the sustainable attributes of mineralization, with improved barrier performance for moisture and oils and improved heat seal performance. They also offer packaging with less plastic content and certifications for recycling in uncoated paper recycling collection categories.
Within HyperBarrier™, Smart Planet Technologies has taken the capabilities further. It focuses on enhancing oxygen barrier capabilities. HyperBarrier™ achieves this with combinations of multiple mineral types within the barrier coating matrix. This has resulted in a twenty-fold improvement in oxygen barrier performance. It also maintains the benefits already found in the suite of EarthCoating barrier options.
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Innovation in the industry for sustainable coatings has typically focused on inventing new types of plastics," said Chris Tilton, inventor and co-founder at Smart Planet Technologies. "
However, the field of mineralized coatings is delivering far more impressive outcomes for sustainable packaging by improving the performance of the package, replacing plastic content, and improving recyclability."
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HyperBarrier™ represents a superior barrier technology for paper-based packaging in every facet. This combination of advantages unlocks exciting new opportunities for companies to embrace paper-based flexible packaging, paving the way for a more sustainable future."
Source: Smart Planet Technologies