How do you choose a suitable barrier coating? That depends on the product you’re packing and the type of protection and performance it needs. Overall, barriers help reduce plastic and can even eliminate fossil-based materials from your packaging!
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Our wide selection of barrier coatings enables you to optimise protection, control odours and prolong the shelf life of your product – just as your full plastic packaging would – but while replacing the majority of the plastic with renewable, sustainably sourced paperboard.
With barrier coatings on paperboard, you get the most economical packaging solution, as well as outstanding performance, while benefitting from the excellent printing and conversion properties of our materials.
Typically, the inside of the packaging is where product protection is needed, and in chilled or frozen conditions, it can be necessary to also coat the outside against condensation moisture, so the packaging remains rigid and resistant to breaking.
Most importantly, you are reducing the use of plastic, minimizing waste and lowering the overall environmental impact of your packaging.
In Europe, more than 51% of barrier-coated liquid beverage cartons are recycled, so the future is looking bright for the circularity of barrier-coated paperboards.
AquaTM coatings are dispersion barrier offerings, designed for improved circularity by replacing traditional plastic layers with a functional coating that increases fibre recovery in recycling.
PE GreenTM is a polyethylene barrier layer made of plant-based raw material, so you get a barrier packaging that is 100% renewable as well as recyclable with a low carbon footprint – ideal for a circular bioeconomy. PE Green is the easiest way to take another step towards eco-friendly packaging as the barrier is functionally a drop-in solution, performing just as a conventional fossil-based PE would, both in converting and product protection.
PE, or polyethylene, is the most widely used barrier coating. It provides excellent moisture protection, is easily sealable in fast-speed converting, packing and filling lines, and ensures a cost-competitive solution to replace oil-based plastic packaging on an industrial scale. PE coatings are typically used for dairy products, ice cream, yogurt, and coffee.
BioTM is a bio-based coating, certified for industrial composting and intended for collection with household food waste. Industrial composting requires demanding certification for the material as well as for the final consumer packaging. This ensures that the packaging waste biodegrades swiftly and breaks down into high-quality humus and bio-based CO2. Our Bio coating is engineered to use less polymers than other compostable barriers, making it resource efficient, but not compromising on functionality: it offers a barrier from moisture, oxygen and grease, as well as sealing properties for packaging converters.
PET provides a heat-resistant barrier, enabling paperboard to replace full-PET trays for ovenable packaging. PET provides extreme grease-resistance and solid water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) properties for packing bakery products, reheatable foods, ready meals heated or cooked by consumers at home, and many more.
PP or polypropylene coating offers heat resistance for replacing plastic cups with paper cups. With PP coating, you can create eco-friendly paper cups that are safe for heating food in microwave ovens and suitable for deep freezing.
BarrTM is our patented high-barrier coating consisting of a multilayer ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) and PE polymer structure, creating a thin layer with excellent moisture, oxygen and aroma protection. It is easy to seal to create various packaging shapes. Barr is suitable for protecting even for very demanding products, like delicate foods, milk powder, chocolate, green tea, desserts, juice, and wine.
Oxy Barr AlTM is our most advanced protection layer that provides an oxygen barrier for products that are very sensitive or need extreme protection for a longer shelf-life. A microthin aluminium lamination helps protect sensitive products like ground coffee or chocolate powder in renewable paperboard packaging.
Fully renewable and recyclable 1 litre cartons made of Performa Cream™ by Stora Enso with a plant-based PE Green™ barrier coating help Unilever cut waste and reduce their use of fossil-based materials.
“We are beyond excited to introduce Ingman’s new brand identity and the new fully plant-based packaging material in our 1 litre ice creams. The renewed Ingman now delivers the joy of ice cream along with the sustainability that has always been an integral part of our product and factory policies and is now even stronger with the new packaging material. We are very happy to take this step forward together with Stora Enso,” says Hilla Carpén, Senior Brand Manager of Ingman Ice Creams.
How can we as consumers make truly sustainable packaging choices? Read here how different packaging materials work in circular economy.
Used paper cups are today largely an unused resource. Stora Enso has made trials which confirm that they could be recycled into new products like magazine paper or recycled board.
Our new Aqua barrier for paper cups and food service packaging is designed for effective recycling.
