Comment améliorer les propriétés barrières du papier?

Ci-dessous l’article qui vient d’être publié dans le magazine "Québec imprimerie" (Numéro 26, Septembre-Octobre 2009).

Le papier est un matériau d’emballage qui jouit d’une excellente image : il est renouvelable, biodégradable et recyclable. Il offre des solutions d’emballage polyvalentes et responsables. Améliorer les propriétés barrières du papier (eau, humidité, graisses et huiles…) reste le plus grand défi pour assurer sa viabilité comme matériau d’emballage. Cascades propose diverses solutions pour compenser les défaillances du papier et faire de l’emballage papier une véritable alternative viable et durable.

La cire comme barrière

Depuis longtemps, la cire a été abondamment utilisée pour compenser les faibles propriétés barrières du papier. Toutefois, l’usage de la cire est de plus en plus contesté et soulève des problèmes au niveau de la durabilité et de la renouvelabilité. Plusieurs facteurs poussent les détaillants et producteurs à envisager des alternatives à la cire: les emballages cirés ne sont pas recyclables, la cire est un sous-produit du pétrole, une source non renouvelable de plus en plus chère. Plusieurs géants de la distribution exigent de leurs fournisseurs des alternatives éco-responsables aux  emballages cirés. Par ailleurs, New York et plusieurs métropoles envisagent de bannir les emballages cirées.

Couchage par extrusion/Lamination : résines conventionnelles

Il s’agit d’extruder une fine couche de plastique sur la surface du papier. Le Polyéthylène (LDPE) est la résine la plus utilisée en raison de la facilité de manipulation, de bonnes propriétés barrières,  de ses excellentes aptitudes de scélabilité, sans oublier son prix.

La deuxième technique consiste à combiner le papier à plusieurs autres substrats comme des films plastiques, films métallisés, aluminium…l’adhésion du couple papier/film peut être réalisée soit en utilisant un adhésif ou encore en extrudant du LDPE.

Couchage par extrusion : Bioplastiques

Le Polyéthylène est un pétro-plastique qui n’est ni durable ni viable à long terme. Depuis plusieurs mois, l’industrie fait face à des pénuries et surtout à une augmentation faramineuse du prix de la résine. Les bioplastiques se présentent comme des alternatives éco-responsables. Toutefois, les défis restent de taille, la résine doit être compostable ou bio-sourcée, elle doit bien adhérer au papier et offrir des propriétés barrières comparables au polyéthylène. Le plus grand frein reste le prix élevé de ces résines.

Couchage à base d’eau

L’intérêt croissant pour les produits recyclables conjugué à la recherche constante de solutions durables, a suscité un véritable engouement pour les couchages à base d’eau. L’emballage combine les meilleurs aspects de deux matériaux: le papier et une barrière fonctionnelle à base d’eau. La sauce de couchage peut être adaptée aux besoins et spécifications requises par le produit à emballer, ce qui leur donne un réel avantage comparé aux autres techniques de couchage qui sont souvent surdimensionnées. Un papier enduit d’un couchage à base d’eau offre un emballage entièrement recyclable et repulpable.

En résumé, l’ajout d’une barrière fonctionnelle au papier lui confère les propriétés barrières du plastique sans en avoir les inconvénients. La technologie de couchage à base d’eau semble a le vent en poupe. En plus d’offrir une solution sur mesure aux besoins des clients et aux exigences de l’emballage, il offre des solutions d’emballage polyvalentes et éco-responsables.

La prévention du gaspillage et des pertes des produits de grande consommation: le rôle clé de l'emballage

Cette nouvelle publication du CNE a pour objectif d’analyser les causes du gaspillage et des pertes de produits de grande consommation et d’en connaître les acteurs. Elle développe plus particulièrement des pistes de réflexion ainsi que des bonnes pratiques permettant à l’emballage de contribuer à la réduction de ces pertes et gaspillages.

Télécharger la publication ici

Zero Packaging Can Do More Harm than Good

Why should we continue to package?

• To protect the integrity of products so they don’t degrade and lose nutritional value quickly.
• To prevent food spoilage.
• To prevent handling of raw products and the transference of bacteria and viruses.
• To ensure safety by not allowing for the transference of germs in the atmosphere and from other     customers.
• To prevent merchandise from getting “shop worn” and less saleable.
• To ensure freshness.
• To prevent possible contamination from containers consumers think are clean and put foodstuffs into to take home.
• To prevent tampering.
• To ensure traceability and transparency: retailers and consumers alike should know which brand of product they are purchasing and where it came from.
• Consumers need the assurance of quality and recourse if a tainted food issue occurs.

Manufacturers and consumers should pause and ask themselves: “Is no packaging for all food products the right way to go?” It’s easy to passionately embrace an idea that centers on a cultural hot button. But it’s important to stand back and look at things rationally. With the cost of consumer products today: is it prudent to waste food or take a chance on more tainted food in lieu of having some packaging waste?

Rather than zero packaging, wouldn’t it make more sense to be prudent and keep working on cutting extraneous packaging; recycling as much packaging as possible; cutting down dramatically on the manufacture and use of virgin materials; designing packaging that can be repurposed or reused; and continuing to find new biodegradable materials from renewable sources.

It seems to me that doing these things will give us the best of both worlds. Highly functional packaging that ensures viable, safe, fresh products. And measurably less packaging material in landfills as time goes on.

 

Read full article: Brand Packaging

Packaging of the week: Boxerchips, An innovative Crisp Packaging

An innovative crisp packaging format can fit twice as much product per box, ideal for airlines where space is critical, claims the product’s manufacturer, Boxerchips.

The new packaging format delivers the same volume of product as a standard 40g bag of crisps, but the compact arrangement allows for an overall reduction in size by as much as 50% and dramatically crunches the amount of packaging materials used by 35%.

The 40 grams product is currently available on 17 European airlines, with 4 million boxes being sold last year, Richard Glennan a spokesperson for Boxerchips told this publication.

Tecta paperboard: Eco-friendly alternative to plastics and plastic-laminated board

Tecta is water based, dispersion coated barrier board designed to meet the high quality packaging requirements of the food industry. Tecta paperboard is based on renewable wood fiber base which together with an optimal barrier coating and protection is an environmentally-friendly alternative to plastics and plastic laminated carton boards. Tecta is fully recyclable, and it can be composted or burned for energy recovery. As a monomaterial it can be recycled without separating the coating.

  
Packaging made of Tecta paperboard offers a good resistance against water, water vapour and grease. Tecta coatings are suitable for direct food contact and can be glued with waterbased or hot melt glues. The coating is also heatsealable. Tecta paperboard is suitable material for frozen food, chilled food as well as microwave ovenable or ovenable packaging. 

Tecta opens up new opportunities for developing packaging that can replace plastic in many applications, one example being recyclable and compostable sandwich packaging. Tecta paperboard is used together with compostable film in the see-through window. This solution is ideal for premium sandwiches as compared to rigid plastic packaging it looks better in the shelf and takes less space in the bin, weather it is then for recycled or composted waste. 

Tecta coated virgin fibre folding boxboard is available in substances from 230g/m² to 365 g/m². The off-machine coater allows the use of paper and paperboard from other paper mills.

Product specification

Incineration to help divert flexible packaging from landfill

Incineration is one solution to stop flexible packaging being landfilled in the UK each year, according to an industry expert.

Envicura, an environmental consultancy from PCI Films Consulting,  has released a new report entitled Flexible packaging in the UK municipal waste stream 2011.  In the study, flexible packaging materials are defined as polymer films, compostable films, packaging papers and foils and any laminate combination of the latter materials.

The report stated that packaging makes up 20% of municipal waste and flexible packaging makes up 3% of it but 80% of that is landfilled [680,000 tonnes].

Speaking to PN about the report, author Steve Hillam said: “One of the options of dealing with flexible packaging waste and to stop it from going to landfill is incineration or recovery, at the moment.

“Despite the small proportion of the municipal waste stream accounted for by flexible packaging, so much of it is landfilled that it demonstrates a real need for new materials and new waste management methods.”

The research stated that a majority of flexible packaging, such as crisp packets are unsuitable for recycling due to food contamination. Inks from crisp and biscuit packets can be difficult to remove.

The study also reveals that the key driver behind the UK’s improved recycling rates is export, with 37% of packaging waste volume now being sent to countries such as India and China. Plastic bags account for around 90% of flexible waste recycling, with 95% [1.6m tonnes] of that going abroad.

Source

Packaging is the solution not the problem

I share with you some highlights from a very interesting paper entitled: Packaging the Problem of Food Waste, published in Food Processing Technology.

Click here to read the full article.

Packaging the problem of food waste

Industry experts suggest that roughly a third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally, amounting to about 1.3 billion tons a year. Food packaging designers and companies could take an important role in reducing the growing food mountain. Through new sizes, designs and the introduction of new packaging materials that prolong the shelf life of perishable foods, an important step towards more sustainable food supply can be made.

Many developed countries still concentrate on the reduction of packaging waste rather than a cutback in the food thrown away. "Packaging protects food," said European Organisation for Packaging and the Environment (EUROPEN) managing director Julian Carroll at the Save Food Congress, which was held as part of Interpack in Düsseldorf in May 2011.

"For decades, packaging was seen as nothing but waste, a nuisance to be avoided. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. Packaging is a technological wunderkind that makes abundance for the masses possible," he said. "I often shake my head in despair at the sheer absurdity of the focus on packaging waste and sustainability by policymakers compared with food waste. Packaging waste pales into insignificance compared with the losses caused by food waste."

Smart Packaging

While policymakers should concentrate on the education of consumers, the packaging industry has to tackle the growing food mountain with more practical and hands-on measures. Today's food packaging has to reflect changing consumption habits and other social changes resulting from demographic factors and altered lifestyles. People are becoming more urban, single households are more common and also the aging populations have influenced the shape, size and the design of packaged food. In the future, different products, different amounts and different packaging sizes will be in demand. 

Intelligently designed containers have to ensure their content is entirely consumed and that no residual amount remains in the package, while ensuring product safety, convenience, marketing and sustainability, technological advancements significantly prolong the shelf life of perishable foods.

Trays, wraps and other forms of physical barriers not only protect the food from their environment but also maintain safety and flavour, keep out oxygen and microbes, and make seasonal food available all year. Better transport packaging reduces bruising, crushing and other damage and mitigates the risk of food being thrown away before even arriving at the supermarket.

A step further has been made with the development of active packaging materials, which do more than simply protect, store and transport food. The different plastic films interact with the food, adding to the product's shelf life without reducing its nutrients, adding unwanted tastes and odours, or changing the texture and appearance.

One of the biggest sources of consumer food waste is the mix-up of 'best-before' and 'use-by' dates on packages. Smart technology could be able to detect food germs and to trigger colour changes in the packaging to alert the consumer if the contents have gone bad.

Danone attaqué en Allemagne pour une histoire de pots en PLA faussement "écolos"

Une association environnementaliste remet en question le bilan écologique des pots de yaourts en PLA de la marque Activia.

Des pots moins bio qu'il n'y paraît. Une association de consommateurs allemande, soucieuse de la protection de l'environnement, la Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), a annoncé mardi 26 juillet qu'elle allait porter plainte contre Danone pour publicité mensongère. Aucune date toutefois n'est encore précisée concernant le dépôt de cette plainte.

Le bilan écologique du pot de yaourt en PLA mis en question

Pomme de la discorde: les pots de yaourt de la marque Activia. La DUH juge que la mention "respectueux de l'environnement" inscrite sur les pots de yaourts Activia constitue une "tromperie éhontée du consommateur", et met en cause le bilan écologique des nouveaux pots de yaourts en PLA, un polymère biodégradable.

Une accusation aussitôt démentie par le patron de la filiale allemande du groupe, Andreas Ostermayr, qui précise que "la mention 'emballage respectueux de l'environnement' sur (les) pots d'Activia est absolument correcte".

L'image verte de Danone égratignée

Danone est pourtant très soucieux de son image "verte". Ces dernières années, le groupe a multiplié les mesures pour réduire l'impact écologique de ses emballages, notamment en rétrécissant la taille des suremballages de lots de yaourts ou en modifiant la composition des bouteilles d'Actimel.

Les pots de yaourts Activia mis en cause ont d'ailleurs été élaborés en collaboration avec le World Wildlife Fund (WWF), une organisation internationale de protection de la nature et de l'environnement de renommée mondiale. Danone a également fait certifier le bilan écologique de ses pots en PLA par un institut de recherche allemand, mais la DUH accuse le groupe de passer sous silence une partie des conclusions de celui-ci dans sa communication, et de n'insister que sur les aspects qui l'arrangent.

De nombreux producteurs allemands privilégient le verre consigné

L'association allemande reproche aussi au groupe d'utiliser du maïs génétiquement modifié comme matière première du PLA, en désaccord avec la publicité faite sur son site et sur les pots eux-mêmes. Des propos réfutés par Danone qui juge le PLA novateur dans le domaine de l'emballage agroalimentaire. "Une initiative tournée vers l'avenir, qui peut faire nettement avancer le secteur de l'emballage (...) au point de vue de l'utilisation des ressources et de l'énergie, des économies d'émissions de gaz à effet de serre et du recyclage, est maintenant menacée", a déploré mardi le groupe.

Cette attaque ne devrait en tout cas pas déplaire aux nombreux concurrents locaux de Danone qui utilisent des emballages en verre consigné pour vendre leur production.

Source

Biodegradable/Compostable/Biobased : Distinctions are subtle but significant

The misconceptions among consumers of what terms like bio-based and biodegradable mean pose challenges for companies putting labels on their products and their packaging.

“There are two huge misconceptions,” said Steve Mojo, executive director of the Biodegradable Products Institute, at the recent Bioplastek conference in New York.

“Eighty-five percent of consumers think that bio-based/renewable also means biodegradable, and 60 percent think biodegradable products magically disappear when you throw it away,” he said. “So the message has to be clear on the package and/or your website -- wherever you expect the consumer to look.

“The challenge all companies will face will be finding a way on the packaging to convey their message -- especially when people are buying the product, not the packaging,” he said. “It is confusing to consumers and it is going to get more so as many people don’t understand what those words really mean.”

Read more…

You find here my talk entitled: “Bio-coated Paper-Based Flexible Packaging: Functionality and Sustainability” given at the 2011 TAPPI PLACE Flexible Packaging Symposium, April 5, 2011 in Orlando, Florida USA.  Here are some highlights:

1. The distinctions are subtle but significant: not all bioplastics are created equal and there are a lot of misleading claims out there
2. Education is needed to clarify in the minds of consumers and clients, the environmental benefits of these new materials.
3. Education: has to be a combined effort from resin makers, converters and the companies that will be selling these products to the consumer

The Reality of Bioplastics - Do They Help You Live a Greener Life?

Bioplastics are complicated, and largely misunderstood. With all the marketing hype surrounding them, and the information left unsaid, it is no surprise that consumers are confused.

Even those in the manufacturing, plastics and packaging industries have little understanding of how they actually work, or what their limitations are - and what retailers and consumers think (or assume) they are purchasing is often very different than the reality.

Myth vs Reality: Myth #1

Bioplastics are better than plastic. The truth: there are many different types of bioplastics available, but only the most cost effective solutions are in use today - and they aren't necessarily any better than traditional plastic.
Read more…

Myth vs. Reality: Myth #2

Bioplastic means biodegradable plastic. Many people assume bioplastic means biodegradable plastic. The truth is that the term "bioplastic" has nothing to do with biodegradability.

Read more…

Myth vs. Reality: Myth #3

The newest additive technology guarantees environmentally friendly plastic.

Some of the newest biodegradable plastic solutions attracting global attention leverage the use of advanced additives within the resin mix. They are growing in popularity because they do not require the plastic manufacturing process to be changed in any way, they fit in a normal recycle stream, and some even allow plastic to biodegrade in any landfill environment - aerobic or anaerobic.

Read more…