Metpack now provides coated paper and paperboard that is DIN EN 13432 certified and suitable for home-compostable food packaging. By utilizing this innovative approach, Metpack stays ahead in the industry.
Metpack’s paper, Ezycompost, features a coating made from BASF’s ecovio 70 PS14H6. This biopolymer not only meets home-compostability certifications (EN 13432 and AS 5810), but it also enhances food packaging performance. Specifically, it’s food-contact approved (FDA), offers excellent barrier properties against liquids, fats, grease, and mineral oils, and stabilizes temperature at boiling point (up to 100°C).
The proven compostability and performance of Ezycompost provide packaging manufacturers and food brands the assurance that these products can be safely utilized without creating persistent microplastics in home compost after use. This eco-friendly solution promotes organics recycling of food waste, contributing to a closed nutrient loop aimed at achieving a circular economy.
The newly developed, home-compostable coated paper by Metpack is versatile; it is suitable for food-contact applications including cold/hot cups and pots for deep-freezing or microwave use. Moreover, it can be manufactured on standard forming lines, enabling faster coating speeds and a coating that is 40% thinner compared to polylactic acid (PLA). Impressively, ecovio 70 PS14H6 allows coating line speeds similar to polyethylene (PE) and shows no adhesion to chill rolls, along with outstanding sealing and printing properties, adaptable to both mono and co-extrusion without adhesives.
“With Ezycompost, we can offer the food industry the best of both worlds when it comes to coated paper packaging,” says Sühan Gürer, vice president of sales and new project development at Metpack. “It has the same strength as PE-coated paper but with the added benefit that it is certified compostable and creates no persistent microplastics in organic or paper waste streams. Its faster processing and home-compostability is a double advantage compared to coatings made of PLA, which is industrially compostable only. This differentiation empowers the food packaging industry to deliver high-quality products while achieving sustainability targets.”
Metpack’s paper solution is certified up to a grammage of 334 gsm in total composition. After use, food packaging made from Ezycompost coated with ecovio 70 PS14H6 can be composted in home gardens according to national regulations, extending the end-of-life options for paper food packaging.
“Our ecovio 70 PS14H6 is also industrially compostable and performs well in paper recycling,” explains Michael Bernhard Schick from global marketing biopolymers at BASF. “Its home compostability is certified under Australian standard AS 5810, considered the most stringent in the world. Our biopolymer is available with a bio-based content of 70-80% from renewable resources as per ASTM D 6866. Additionally, for customers seeking to lower their product carbon footprint (PCF), we offer a certified bio-massed balanced (BMB) grade that reduces PCF by 25%.”
The BMB grade maintains the same properties, performance, processability, and biodegradation certifications as the standard ecovio 70 PS14H6. Notably, its migration barrier properties also facilitate the use of recycled paper in food applications.
BASF’s biopolymer ecovio is compostable per standards like DIN EN 13432. Typical applications for ecovio include organic waste bags, cling film, fruit and vegetable bags, and various food packaging solutions. Studies underline the benefits of ecovio, particularly in production, packaging, and shelf life of food while significantly enhancing food waste collection.
These advantages stem from the material’s certified biodegradability, whether in industrial, home composting, or agricultural soil contexts. Consequently, food waste decreases, nutrients reintegrate into the soil via increased compost volumes, and the accumulation of persistent microplastics in agricultural soil is circumvented. This greatly contributes to a circular economy by closing the nutrient cycle through organics recycling.
