Technological watch

Coating manufacturer Teknos is developing a new, bio-based barrier coating for food packaging together with biosourced materials company Brightplus. The objective of the cooperation is to develop bio-based and biodegradable solutions for more environmentally friendly food packaging.

Paper and paperboard used in food packaging or serving are traditionally coated with a thin film of plastic which can make the recycling of such packaging problematic and eventually increase the amount of waste. The new barrier coating developed by Teknos and Brightplus is bio-based and biodegradable and can be used to replace the traditional fossil-based plastic film.

“By replacing the traditional plastic film with this new bio-based barrier coating, we can increase the eco-friendliness of food packaging products. The solution can also enable wider use of fibre-based material in food packaging”, Tuomas Aspiala, Group Commercial Manager, Teknos explains.

The cooperation of Teknos and Brightplus is the second phase in this pilot solution, the first phase being development of the bio-based material itself.

“In the second phase Teknos aims to develop, together with our partners, a commercial outcome that can be produced on an industrial scale”, Aspiala tells us.

”We have conducted R&D with Teknos for a year now and are happy to take the next step in our collaboration. In this next phase, we aim to increase the chemical functionality of the material and take a major leap forward in scaling-up and piloting the developed material. This year will ensure its commercial availability for industrial scale production”, Jarkko Leivo, Technology Director, Brightplus comments.

Teknos and Brightplus are both companies strongly committed to sustainability and innovation.

“We share common values; we both want to be part of developing sustainable solutions that contribute to the circular economy. Our cooperation so far has been agile and reciprocal”, Aspiala explains.

In line with its sustainability program, Teknos develops solutions that contribute to solving environmental and other societal challenges. Applying their know-how from the coatings industry to packaging solutions is new to the industry.

“Our strengths lie within the experience from different raw materials, various substrates and coating methods. It is only natural that we apply this strong know-how to create solutions for different industries as well”, Aspiala says in summary.

Developing solutions for the packaging and food serving industry is part of Teknos’ innovation aims. Innovation is at the core of Teknos growth strategy for 2019–2025. The goal of Teknos is to be the most innovative partner in the coatings industry by 2025.

Source: Brightplus, press release, 2021-04-08.