UPM Specialty Papers actively collaborates with partners across the food and drink packaging sector to co-create innovative solutions that pave the way for sustainable packaging. A notable project with Unipaco S.A., a Polish converter specializing in flexible packaging materials, has led to the development of a recyclable, heat-sealable wrapper for salad and herb pots. This new packaging not only ensures product safety but also aligns with the stringent requirements for mono-material structures, meeting the German 95/5 standards, where single-material components constitute 95% of the packaging mass.
Addressing Growing Demand
As brands globally establish more ambitious sustainability targets, particularly regarding recyclability, they encounter increasingly rigorous regulations. Consequently, the industry experiences a significant rise in demand for alternatives to traditional flexible plastic packaging. UPM Specialty Papers and Unipaco have responded to this pressing need by focusing on a specific challenge: designing a wrapper for salad and herb pots.
UPM Solide™ Lucent 78 g/m2 + 4 g/m2 PE Coating
This partnership has produced two distinct packaging versions, integrating UPM papers with Unipaco coatings. The first version utilizes the innovative barrier base paper, UPM Solide™ Lucent 78 g/m2, combined with a 4 g/m2 PE coating. This robust and versatile paper offers a unique natural aesthetic and is particularly suitable for coating and lamination processes, providing an exceptional surface for further conversion and printing, including rotogravure applications. The remarkably thin 4 g/m2 PE layer ensures necessary moisture resistance and heat sealability.
“By combining our papers with an extremely thin PE coating, we set out to create packaging that enables our customers to meet their recyclability goals while adhering to all relevant regulations,” stated Kirsi Lahtela, Senior Manager, Product Portfolio Management, UPM Specialty Papers. “The project allowed Unipaco to test our barrier base papers for the first time, alongside their more familiar coated one-side papers. We were pleased to observe that UPM Solide Lucent performed exceptionally well on the coating equipment.”
UPM FlexPack™ 80 g/m2 + 4 g/m2 PE Coating
The second packaging version combines UPM FlexPack™ 80 g/m2 with a 4 g/m2 PE coating. UPM’s coated one-side FlexPack™ papers are designed for various lamination processes, providing an unparalleled combination of strength and high-quality print results, particularly in flexo printing. Once again, the ultra-thin and heat-sealable 4 g/m2 PE layer offers essential heat-sealability and moisture resistance.
“With the increasing demand for recyclable materials, we prioritized reducing the grammage of our coating to develop a unique product. Our objective was to create the thinnest possible coating without compromising quality, barrier properties, or heat sealability. By integrating this coating with UPM’s papers, we achieved remarkable results easily transferable to full-scale production. This solution can be applied to many other papers and various end-uses, including meat and cheese wrapping, flexible packaging, and even sack production,” explained Aleksander Borysow, CEO and Chairman of the Board, Unipaco S.A.
This innovative fiber-based salad and herb pot wrapper, which is both safe for food contact and compliant with recyclability standards, will be featured at UPM Specialty Papers’ stand 241 in Hall 3A at Fachpack, Nuremberg, Germany, from September 24th to 26th, and at PACK EXPO, Chicago, USA, stand W-21110 within the Containers and Materials Pavilion, from November 3rd to 6th.
Discover the uniqueness of our products at upmspecialtypapers.com.
