In Switzerland, industrial minerals company Omya has launched biobased barrier coatings for paper and board food packaging.
The portfolio includes Extomine Barrier Coatings, which are water-borne barrier and based on calcium carbonate and acrylic co-polymers, and EarthInks Barrier Coatings, which are 100% natural, compostable and biodegradable and are tailored for fast food and vending materials. Omya acquired the EarthInks portfolio with its recent acquisition of Solar Inks.
Both coating lines are available as ready-to-use aqueous dispersions compatible with existing coating equipment.
Paper is seen as an environmentally friendly alternative to single-use plastics in food packaging and takeout containers, but lacks the oil and water repellency required for some applications. Fluorinated polymers and laminated polyolefins have been used to improve performance, but are bad for the environment and render the final product unrecyclable.