Camvac’s new Barrier-Lidding film

Camvac debut’s new, versatile Barrier-Lidding film

UK based Camvac was the first company in Europe to develop and commercialise food contact grade metallised PET and OPP films. Fast forward over fifty years and the company has established itself as one of the leading global suppliers of metallised and clear barrier films and laminates, for a wide range of applications including food and liquid beverage packaging.

Camvac’s latest commercial development is a post-consumer recycled (PCR) grade PET barrier film named ExtraPET PCR. This new development joins Camvac’s existing ExtraPET film range which is used primarily within for the food and converter marketplace and positions itself within Camvac’s growing Camvert range of sustainable packaging solutions.

ExtraPET PCR has been purposely developed to meet the growing consumer demand for more sustainable lidding film solutions. The new film development sets out to reduce plastic waste and plastic going to landfill. It also utilises the circular economy, reducing the use of fossil feedstocks, alongside reducing carbon footprint, and supporting recycling streams along with improved waste collection. The film still provides an all-PET structure and maintains Camvacs’ high gas barrier performance, both OTR and WVTR as required for MAP & CAP packaging applications.

Available in either peel or weld seal laminate structures, the mono-material lidding film has been designed to offer excellent sealing properties and exceptional barrier performance. Whilst guaranteeing the film appearance is not hampered by using food contact approved PCR grade base webs. Camvac can offer a sustainable film that truly challenges virgin PET films, due to very similar characteristics and visual appearance – no yellow hints are visible in the barrier lidding film!

“ The new film development sets out to reduce plastic waste and plastic going to landfill. It also utilises the circular economy ”

Fresh appeal

The high barrier polyester laminate film’s versatility contributes to the film being used for a wide range of processed meats, fresh meats, poultry, pastas, vegetable, and bakery packaging solutions, where presentation and fresh appearance is critical. Camvac’s Development Director, Gary Chalkley, states “ExtraPET traditionally provides a variety of environmentally friendly and atmosphere packaging solutions in peel and non-peel, anti-fog, and high barrier options. By introducing a minimum 60% PCR content film into the range boosts the film’s environmental attributes of this mono-material film in the drive for more sustainable film solutions for the packaging of fresh and prepared produce.”

The peelable ExtraPET PCR is available as an adhesive laminate of 12-micron polyester to 20-micron polyester. ExtraPET PCR Peelable total PCR content makes up 62% of the laminate structure.The weld seal laminate structure is 12-micron polyester to 15-micron polyester. This laminate structure uses two base webs that accumulates the total post-consumer recycled content of 65-percent of the laminate structure.

Total Recyclability

As a direct result of the ExtraPET range being an allpolyester structure, the potential of total recyclability, where post-consumer collection infrastructure exists, is possible. The recyclable lidding film has the capability to seal and peel from various tray structures including PET trays. A PET tray and ExtraPET film lid combination meets the ever-growing requirement of a complete mono-material packaging solution that is truly recyclable. Camvac’s ExtraPET film range is found in most UK supermarkets and has a growing presence globally, particularly in mainland Europe. Not only are the UK consumers demanding greener and more sustainable options but also the imminent introduction of the UK plastic tax is forcing converters and food packaging companies to find sustainable alternatives.

ExtraPet is a perfect solution to enable products currently packed in multi-polymer tray/lidding combinations to switch a 100% PET film / tray solution that is already extensively used in the MAP/CAP markets.

Beyond 30% barrier

ExtraPET PCR has been developed to go beyond the 30% post-consumer recycled minimum. With this product being added to Camvac’s ExtraPET portfolio, the predominant customer base of converters and packers will not change. The long-standing supply partnerships will continue to be built upon, albeit with a new environmentally friendly stance, alongside the proven reliability of ExtraPET film. • Mono-material (widely recyclable) • Chlorine free barrier coating (environmentally friendly) • Excellent seal integrity • Minimum 62% Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) Content • Peel and weld seal options • Market leading antifog properties • Excellent light transmission / low haze values. • High barrier laminate offers extended product shelf-life • Print receptive top coating As Camvac continues to invest and develop new packaging films, the company is continually seeking new opportunities to partner with likeminded companies and would welcome any opportunity to discuss new partnerships – not only for their ExtraPET films but also their other packaging solutions.

Kemira At the heart of recyclable packaging

The repulpability of barrier coatings is the key to fibre-based packaging material recyclability and effective, circular material reuse. Kemira’s new dispersion barrier chemistry, FennoGuard™ GO, provides the perfect answer for FMCG companies seeking to find sustainable packaging alternatives.

Brand owners, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies, and retailers continue to be under intense pressure to find sustainable and safe packaging alternatives. Even more so now as the goals set previously for phasing out plastics and introducing fully renewable or recyclable packaging alternatives begin to draw closer.

Fibre-based packaging materials have gained much interest in the packaging value chain due to their excellent recycling properties. This has put barrier solutions in the limelight as they provide paper and board with much-needed functional properties to protect the packaged good from the environment and vice versa. The challenge with the oftenused solutions, such as PE extrusion coatings and laminated structures, is that they take away from the renewable nature of paper and board and make for poor end-product recyclability.

Kemira’s new barrier chemistry, FennoGuard™ GO, answers the packaging material producer’s demands. The new waterbased dispersion barrier coating helps to replace traditional plastic films and fluorochemicals used for protection against grease, oil, and other substances in fibre-based packaging. In addition, FennoGuard™ GO has excellent repulping properties, which enables the development of truly circular and recyclable packaging alternatives.

more efficient material reuse

Repulping properties are at the heart of fibre-based packaging recyclability and efficient material reuse. To ensure material efficiency, the barrier coating should break down easily in the repulping process and the amount of fibres, fillers, and other raw materials that get rejected from the process as waste should be minimized.

Kemira studied five different barrier coated packaging boards to increase the understanding of how they behave in the repulping process of an in-machine broke system. The barrier coatings studied were commercially available dispersion barrier coatings, including Kemira’s FennoGuard™ GO. Based on these results, FennoGuard™ GO dispersion barrier coatings can be easily repulped and in addition, the repulped material has a low rejection rate – in the two studied sample boards the reject percentages were as low as 0% and 1.7%. The other dispersion barrier coatings studied, proved to be more difficult to repulp. They had reject rates as high as 8.2% and 14.1%. When the repulping was chemically enhanced, the amount of reject could be considerably reduced.

High performance wastewater treatment

A common concern related to the repulping of barrier coated boards is that contaminants such as the hydrophobic particles originating from the coating would end up in the process wastewater or, worse still, be discharged into the environment.

Our study shows that up to 80–85% of the hydrophobic particles in the coated broke could be attached back onto the fibers with a fixative in the board making process, thus enabling efficient recirculation of the repulped material. What’s more, chemically enhanced wastewater treatment helped to remove the majority of the remaining particles. As a result, up to 98% of all the hydrophobic particles in the process could be removed and efficiently managed.

A holistic approach is the key

The repulpability of barrier coated packaging material is highly dependent on the dispersion barrier chemistries and components used. Base sheet properties also play a key role. For example, wet-strength agents used in the base paper can have a negative effect on repulpability. Based on our findings, efficient and sustainable repulping and recirculation, and thus, recycling of dispersion barrier coated materials, can be carried out in the existing paper and board making processes.

A holistic end-to-end understanding of the papermaking process and efficient chemical solutions are crucial in the creation of optimised dispersion barrier coating in packaging board. They are also valuable for ensuring sustainable processes in all necessary production phases for circulating and reusing barrier coated boards.

This article is taken from a recent study titled, “Dispersion barrier coated fiber-based materials and holistic study about repulping”. This was first presented at the 30th PTS Coating Symposium in September 2021.