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Henkel and UPM show recyclable alternative to plastic consumer packaging

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At Interpack 2023, Henkel and UPM Specialty Papers presented two recyclable paper solutions created through a joint development between the two companies.

The products are said to push the performance of barrier papers to an unsurpassed level of grease resistance – offering a heat-sealable alternative to conventional plastic packaging. By combining Henkel coatings with UPM packaging papers, the innovative combined solutions provide fully recyclable alternatives for both food and non-food packaging applications.

Henkel and UPM presented a solution delivering heat sealability using Henkel’s Loctite Liofol HS 2809-22 RE with UPM AsendoTM 90 g/m2 paper and a solution that combined barrier coating Aquence EPIX BC 6134 and UPM AsendoTM Pro 90 g/m2 paper to deliver barrier properties against grease alongside heat sealability. The jointly developed innovations ensure that these vital characteristics for packaging food and non-food items can be provided using paper. Henkel’s paper coatings can be used on a variety of substrates and enable easy recycling and recovery of fibres to support a circular economy.   

“At UPM Specialty Papers, we are working closely with innovative partners to create transformative solutions that reimagine the future of sustainable packaging,” commented Mika Uusikartano, senior manager, product portfolio management at UPM Specialty Papers. “Working alongside Henkel with a shared focus on creating sustainable alternatives, we have co-created a recyclable, heat-sealable packaging material that is compatible with existing packaging lines. By combining our respective expertise, we are jointly creating barrier paper structures and pushing their performance to an unsurpassed level of grease resistance, while providing converters with a tried and tested concept.”

Christin Noack, market strategy manager Europe at Henkel said: “The creation of packaging and processes to effectively combine paper with barrier and heat seal coatings required close collaboration with our partners at UPM over a lengthy joint development process to identify and optimise the right fibre-based substrate and coatings combination.”