Bio-based stand-up pouches

Different bio-based coatings on paper substrate have been used by Finland’s VTT Technical Research Centre to create lightweight 100% bio-based stand-up pouches.

The stand-up pouch is the fastest growing type of packaging, growing at a rate of 6.5% per year from 2015–2020. Fossil-based plastic films still dominate the packaging market. However, the development of environmentally friendly new materials is of growing importance. Nanocellulose has been shown to be potentially very useful for a number of future technical applications.

VTT’s pouches feature high performance in oxygen, grease and mineral oil barrier properties thanks to the patent-pending high-consistency enzymatic fibrillation of cellulose (HefCel) technology.

HefCel technology provides a low-cost method for the production of nanocellulose resulting in a tenfold increase in the solids content of nanocellulose. Nanocellulose has been shown to be potentially very useful for a number of future technical applications. The densely packed structure of nanocellulose films and coatings enables their superior oxygen, grease and mineral oil barrier properties.

HefCel technology exploits industrial enzymes and simple mixing technology as tools to fibrillate cellulose into nanoscale fibrils without the need for high energy consuming process steps. The resulting nanocellulose is in the consistency of 15–25% when traditional nanocellulose production methods result in 1–3% consistency.

“One-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally. Packaging with efficient barrier properties is a crucial factor in the reduction of the food loss. Our solution offers an environmentally friendly option for the global packaging industry,” said Senior Scientist Jari Vartiainen of VTT.