Packaging coatings play an important role in the packaging industry. While barrier coatings help protect the contents of packaging from external factors such as moisture, light and oxygen, most packaging coatings are used to protect printed information and purely for their aesthetic or haptic qualities – providing a soft touch, a matte look, a gold finish and much more. These coatings can make packaging stand out, giving brands that all-important competitive edge. And the demand for them is growing.
In follow-up to the previously published trends; the Internet of Packaging and Customised multi-sensory packaging, we point out the next trend to look out for.
Biodegradable and recyclable packaging
Plastic has long been one of the world’s top packaging materials, with an average of 400 million tonnes of plastic waste generated each year. This is having an increasingly significant impact on the environment. In response, there is growing consumer and regulatory pressure on brands to break their fossil-based plastic habit.
One major change has been the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD), which imposes limits on single-use plastic packaging and encourages the use of recycled and biodegradable alternatives. And with many countries having banned the use of certain single-use plastics since 2021, it has never been more important for businesses to find sustainable packaging solutions that comply with the new regulations.
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) will enter into force at the beginning of 2025. It is taking steps to make packaging safer (banning harmful chemicals, like PFAS, from food packaging) and more sustainable by setting targets to use more recycled plastic. PPWR is part of the European Green Deal which sets the circular economy as one of its main priorities.
PPWR demands all EU countries to implement EPR schemes for all packaging. Packaging must be 100% recyclable and achieve an actual recycling target of 55% by 2030, and 100% by 2040. Targets for minimum recycled content in plastic packaging: a PCR (post-consumer recyclate) content by 2030 of 35% for regular plastic packaging. For contact-sensitive packaging 10% applies for most plastics, while for PET 30%.
For PPWR and the design for recycling guidelines by RecyClass and CEFLEX recommend as limited use of coatings and inks as possible, and to be used <5% by weight.
(EPR = Extended Producer Responsibility. Those selling the packed products (= brands) to cover the costs of collection, transport, and treatment, cleanup litter and awareness-raising measures.)
Barrier products are used in order to minimize packaging layers, moving towards more sustainable monolayer packaging. The aim of these coatings is to protect and preserve the product inside the packaging as was previously done with more complex packaging structures (laminates, presence of aluminum, etc.), but now by means of a single substrate and a coating. Protecting means preserving the properties of the product inside the packaging. For example that the food does not oxidize, go rancid or lose its crunch.
To enhance the mono-material and paperization trends, Stahl Packaging Coatings is investing heavily in barrier technologies. Our Barriertec products on the US markets whilst the Weilburger Graphics by Stahl portfolio offers various coatings for the EMEA and Asia markets. Biodegradable and biobased products are in the development stages to proactively move into a sustainable packaging future.
The SUP directive will be reviewed in 2027. This includes a review of biodegradable polymers. PHA is now considered a non-natural polymer which requires ‘plastic in product' marking on paper packaging. While it is fully biodegradable in various environments and intended to reduce the accumulation of plastic waste.
Read more about Stahl’s sustainable barrier coating portfolio for packaging applications.
Stahl advances the use of PHAs in formulated coatings | Stahl
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