The utilization of plastic Items has expanded exponentially in the past decades. Most of the forms of plastics are non-biodegradable and take hundreds of years to decompose.
Generally, plastic products have a short useful life as compared to other metal/wood products. This short life span of plastic products leads to large volumes going into trash. Although, there is some recyclability in plastics, most end up in ever increasing garbage dumps and oceans across the globe.
Use of Plastics in Packaging
Food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and many other industries use plastic products for packaging to restrict leakage and maintain the desirable quality of products. For instance, PE extrusion-coated paper is used widely to provide water, oil, and grease barrier property to packaging materials. However, during the recycling of paper, the PE separates and needs to be disposed off in many cases. In contrast, barrier coatings can be 100% recycled with paper leaving no waste and further strengthening paper fibers. Plastics are harmful to the environment due to their non-biodegradability. Plastic packaging products can be economical and easy to use, but they are hazardous to the environment. If not carefully disposed of, plastic products can have severe environmental effects on our planet. A large proportion of plastic winds up in the ocean, where it is often torn into small particles that are eaten by marine animals and can have an impact on our food chain.
What Is a Barrier Coating for Papers?
In an effort to reduce plastics in packaging, barrier coatings are applied to paper, paperboard, or corrugated board to restrict the flow of oil, grease, water, oxygen, or moisture through a variety of materials in order to accomplish better protection. Barrier coatings can be used on food packaging paper or non-food packaging paper.
Food, pharmaceutical products, cosmetics, and liquids can be packaged with barrier coated material in order to control the required quality, safety, and shelf life, and is an Environment friendly packaging option. These products must be 100% re-pulpable and re-cyclable for packaging materials to become sustainable.
Barrier coatings can also provide heat sealability to form packaging material in order to effectively replace PE coating.
Empowera offers a range of solutions for creating barrier properties in paper and paper boards. The products can be used for multiple end uses including replacing polyethylene, fluorochemical, or waxes in food packaging, paper cups, plates, wrapping paper, etc. All the products are offered ready to use and the viscosity can be adjusted depending on the application. The products satisfy FDA & EU regulations which ensure consumer safety and end-product sustainability.
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