UPM x Eastman: A novel food packaging concept with bio-polymer extrusion coating on paper

UPM x Eastman

How co-creation powers your purpose

Innovative paper packaging concept with biopolymer-coating
Designed for food applications
Compostable and recyclable within existing fibre recycling streams*
Compatible with conventional LDPE extrusion coating equipment
Provides enhanced adhesion of biopolymers on paper

A new biopolymer extrusion coated option for foods with high barrier requirement

UPM Specialty Papers and Eastman have co-created a novel biopolymer-extrusion coated paper packaging concept designed for food applications requiring grease and oxygen barriers.

This concept integrates Eastman’s biobased and compostable Solus™ performance additives with BioPBS^TMbiopoolymer that is extrusion coated onto UPM’s compostable and recyclable barrier base papers. The thinness of the coating layer ensures that the solution is designed for recycling within existing fibre recycling streams, empowering brands to adopt sustainable packaging.

“We are excited to introduce the result of our development work with Eastman. Together with our partners, we are constantly pushing the performance of fibre-based packaging. This new biopolymer extrusion coated paper concept, for example, provides a new option for foods with high barrier requirements ranging from confectionary end-uses to meat pies found in chilled-food aisles”, says Esa Saukkonen, Manager, Packaging Portfolio Development, UPM R&D.

Enhanced barrier protection and adhesion of biopolymers on paper

This unique concept for extrusion coated paper amplifies the barrier-boosting effect of UPM Solide^TM Lucent and UPM Prego^TM barrier base papers. In doing so, it achieves a barrier performance that goes beyond that enabled by individual components. The solution also delivers exceptional heat sealability, and the capability to maintain barrier protection when folded are perfect for flexible packaging.

Traditionally, the challenge of combining extrusion coating with paper lies in the adhesion of the coating to the paper, especially with biobased or biodegradable extrusion coatings. The concept co-created with Eastman helps solve this, as laboratory tests show that extrusion coating Solus^TM onto UPM’s barrier base papers successfully enhanced adhesion of the biopolymer layer to paper. The concept is compatible with conventional low density polyethylene (LDPE) extrusion coating equipment, which means no additional capital investment is required.

“Solus™ reduces coating thickness, lowering plastic usage and enabling the recyclability of food packaging. These additives have been pivotal in advancing scalable, sustainable paper packaging for brands.” - Bhuma Rajagopalan, Marketing Manager, CASE Innovation, Eastman.

The overall packaging has been successfully validated for recyclability according to PTS method (PTS-RH 021/97 cat II) and the individual components have been validated for both home and industrial compostability.

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