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EarthCoating-Bio Delivers the Long-Sought Recyclable and Compostable Barrier Coating Solution for Paper Cups
NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA
Smart Planet Technologies, a pioneer in sustainable barrier coating technologies, is proud to announce another breakthrough innovation in the packaging industry with the commercial release of EarthCoating-Bio, a new biopolymer version of its renowned EarthCoating barrier coating. This cutting-edge development incorporates polylactic acid (PLA), a biobased resin, with a specialized mineral blend, to produce a barrier coating providing both compostability and recyclability to paper cups and other barrier-coated paper packaging.
Paper cups with polyethylene coatings have long been known to be challenging to recycle, and considered a contaminant to paper recycling systems. For that reason, many paper cups wind up in landfills. However, by mineralizing the resin, EarthCoating-Bio has been proven to produce barrier paper packaging that is fully compatible with conventional paper recycling systems and qualified for recycling in premium recovered paper categories.
Conventional PLA coatings are qualified as industrially compostable but as a 100% plastic coating, create the same challenges for recycling as 100% polyethylene coatings.
The new EarthCoating-Bio breaks new ground by mineralizing the plant-based PLA polymer to produce a coating that is universally recyclable, industrially compostable, bio-based, with less plastic.
Key Benefits of EarthCoating-Bio:
· Recyclable: EarthCoating-Bio maintains the proven recyclability established with mineralized resins, consistent with the family of EarthCoating formulations, ensuring that the packaging can be recycled in standard paper recycling streams, and classified as uncoated paper. With its mineral content, EarthCoating-Bio is removed in the same method as clay fillers which are part of the composition of paperboards and are designed to be removed in conventional paper recycling.
· Industrially Compostable: This innovative coating meets industrial composting standards, providing an additional end-of-life solution that complements its recyclability.
· Biobased Composition: The use of PLA, derived from renewable resources, enhances the sustainability profile of packaging materials,
· Reduced Plastic Use: The mineralization of resin in a barrier coating reduces the plastic content by 35-51% over conventional 100% plastic coatings
· Affordability: The mineralization process reduces PLA by introducing inexpensive minerals, providing a more affordable solution with a better sustainability footprint
· Seamless Integration: As with previous EarthCoating products, the new biopolymer version is designed to be a drop-in solution over 100% plastic coatings, requiring no changes to existing manufacturing processes. EarthCoating formulations provide improved barrier and heat seal performance over conventional 100% plastic coatings.
Chris Tilton, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Smart Planet Technologies, commented on the breakthrough, "Regulations for sustainable packaging have been challenged with the concern whether to support recycling or composting of packaging. The commingling of packaging that may be compatible with one process can be incompatible with the other. With the introduction of EarthCoating-Bio, we are providing a solution that is compatible with both efforts, while reducing plastic content. This is a more sustainable PLA-based solution that 100% PLA coatings".
About Smart Planet Technologies: Smart Planet Technologies is an innovation leader in materials engineering for the packaging industry. With a focus on enhancing the performance and environmental profile of packaging materials, Smart Planet Technologies delivers easily commercialized solutions to address sustainability goals in packaging.
Nanoshel and Smart Planet Technologies form strategic collaboration for use in next-generation environmental packaging solutions
Nanoshel and Smart Planet Technologies form strategic collaboration for use in next-generation environmental packaging solutions
Hyper Barrier “HB” is a nanocomposite plastic reduction technology providing superior performance and improved recyclability for all types of mineralized plastic, paper, and paperboard packaging applications.
The Nanoshel EKS product range of eco nanocomposites for use in packaging applications are based exclusively on proprietary formulations and applications supplied by Smart Planet Technologies. These nanocomposites are designed for addition to plastics to deliver improvements including greater economy, improved barrier and abrasion properties, higher tensile strength, reduced thermal expansion, superior surface quality and improved processing properties.
Nanoshel, headquarters in Punjab, India with operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States, together with Smart Planet Technologies, headquarters located in Newport Beach, California, have entered into a new technology partnership with the objective of commercializing advanced nanocomposite barrier coatings for use in flexible and rigid consumer packaging applications. The new technology will bring a wide array of high-performance barrier options for paper coatings and blown film applications. The Nanoshel collaboration broadens the reach of Smart Planet Technologies into a wide range of new applications requiring less plastic in all packaging verticals, improved paper recycle-ability, and very high barrier performance.
About Smart Planet Technologies
Smart Planet Technologies https://www.smartplanettech.com/ is a global consumer and industrial packaging engineering company offering new environmental solutions to stakeholders and the packaging industry. This advanced technology reduces plastic by mineralization and it results in greatly improved paper recycling. Smart Planet Technologies™ is globally commercialized throughout the flexible and foodservice packaging industries with high volume resin manufacturing, coating, printing and converting locations available throughout the US, China, Australia, New Zealand, South America, and Europe.
About Nanoshel
Nanoshel https://www.nanoshel.com/ is a global producer of validated and compliant engineered nanomaterials and advanced technologies for industry supplying to over 40 countries since 2006. Operating from India, United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States, the company stands at the forefront of commercializing nanotechnologies for commercial and societal interest.
Contact:
Smart Planet Technologies – Tel: 1-917-270-0589 / E: chris@smartplanettech.com
Nanoshel UK Limited – Tel 44-1782-454-144 / 1-646-470-4911 / E: cmg@nanoshel.com
Introducing HyperBarrier, a High-Barrier Coating for Paper-based Flexible Packaging
Another Packaging Miracle through Mineralization: Smart Planet Technologies Introduces HyperBarrier, a High-Barrier Coating for Paper-based Flexible Packaging
NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA – February 5, 2024 – Smart Planet Technologies, a leader in sustainable packaging solutions, has developed another breakthrough innovation in performance, sustainability and cost with HyperBarrier™ for paper-based packaging. This revolutionary innovation is a ternary nanocomposite coating, providing a 20x improvement in oxygen barrier performance and 15x improvement in moisture barrier performance over conventional polyethylene coatings in paper-based flexible packaging. This innovation provides new opportunities for brands to embrace paper-based packaging over plastic where conventional barrier coatings have been insufficient in performance.
The challenges before HyperBarrier:
While many brands have looked to move their flexible packaging from plastic to paper-based formats, there have been numerous obstacles:
Insufficient barrier performance: Existing 100% plastic coatings for paper packaging often struggle to match the oxygen and moisture barrier of plastic packaging, compromising product freshness and shelf life.
Recyclability roadblocks: Many barrier coatings render fiber packaging to be non-recyclable, adding to landfill waste and undermining sustainability efforts.
Costly complexities: Multi-layer film laminations and treatments like EVOH and metallization inflate costs and further complicate recycling.
For many flexible packaging applications, the negatives of a switch far outweigh the positives, which has forced many brands to stay with plastic packaging, and fall short of their objectives to use more sustainable materials.
The new opportunities with HyperBarrier:
HyperBarrier represents a monumental leap forward in flexible packaging. This innovative coating revolutionizes the game by tackling these challenges head-on:
Unmatched Oxygen Barrier in a single-layer barrier coating: HyperBarrier delivers a twenty-fold improvement over polyethylene coatings, ensuring product integrity and extending shelf life for a wide range of applications.
Cost-Effective Choice: Its single-layer application eliminates the need for complex and expensive multi-layer structures, offering a more affordable and efficient solution.
Recyclability: As with the suite of EarthCoating products, HyperBarrier creates paper-based flexible packaging materials that are compatible with existing paper recycling streams for uncoated paper, improving bale quality of recovered paper and reducing waste. As with EarthCoating, HyperBarrier is an inert component in paper recycling and is removed in the same process as clay coating.
Plastic reduction: HyperBarrier’s 40% mineral content further reduces plastic content beyond simply switching from plastic to paper packaging.
Fit for Purpose: HyperBarrier has all of the capabilities in conventional coatings, including heat-sealability and food contact
Industry-Friendly Integration: This drop-in solution requires no capital expenditure or changes to existing manufacturing processes, ensuring smooth adoption.
The innovation within HyperBarrier:
HyperBarrier builds on the merits of high mineralization of coatings, pioneered by Smart Planet Technologies and its business partners in its EarthCoating barrier coating solution, commercialized in over 2.5 billion packages to date including in flexible packaging. The optimization of the blending of certain minerals and polymers, provides a better result in attributes for barrier coatings than polymer alone. EarthCoating pioneered the sustainable attributes of mineralization, with improved barrier performance for moisture and oils, improved heat seal performance, less plastic content, and packaging with certifications for recycling in uncoated paper recycling collection categories.
Within HyperBarrier, Smart Planet Technologies has taken the capabilities further, focusing on enhancing oxygen barrier capabilities. HyperBarrier achieves this with combinations of multiple mineral types within the barrier coating matrix, which has resulted in a twenty-fold improvement in oxygen barrier performance, while maintaining the benefits already found in the suite of EarthCoating barrier options.
“Innovation in the industry for sustainable coatings has typically focused on inventing new types of plastics," says Chris Tilton, inventor and co-founder at Smart Planet Technologies. "However, the field of mineralized coatings is delivering far more impressive outcomes for sustainable packaging by improving the performance of the package, replacing plastic content, and improving recyclability."
"HyperBarrier represents a superior barrier technology for paper-based packaging in every facet. This combination of advantages unlocks exciting new opportunities for companies to embrace paper-based flexible packaging, paving the way for a more sustainable future."
About Smart Planet Technologies:
Smart Planet Technologies is a materials engineering company with breakthrough advancements in sustainable barrier coatings and packaging materials for the packaging industry. Our innovations optimize barrier performance while making disposable packaging “recycle ready” for existing paper recycling systems enabling paper packaging to further become a valuable resource in a circular economy.
HyperBarrier featured in Packaging Digest
HyperBarrier - Paper Packaging Gets 20x Better Barrier
Smart Planet’s new HyperBarrier coating gives paper-based flexible packaging a massive leap in polyolefin oxygen and moisture barrier — offering EVOH, foil, and metallization alternatives — without ruining curbside recyclability.
Lisa McTigue Pierce, Executive Editor, Packaging Digest
April 22, 2024
https://www.packagingdigest.com/sustainability/paper-packaging-gets-20x-better-barrier
Will Lorenzi, CEO of Smart Planet Technologies, featured in KTLA Los Angeles Interview, addressing bill SB1167 ban on foodservice packaging for in-store dining
Will Lorenzi, CEO of Smart Planet Technologies, appeared in a recent interview with KTLA Los Angeles to discuss Smart Planet’s technology in fully recyclable disposable paper packaging, as a solution to the waste challenge from disposable packaging in in-store dining in quick service restaurants.
During the interview, Lorenzi highlighted the importance of transitioning towards eco-friendly packaging to reduce environmental impact. He emphasized the need for collaboration between industries, policymakers, and consumers to drive meaningful change in the packaging industry. Additionally, Lorenzi shared insights on innovative technologies developed by Smart Planet Technologies that aim to revolutionize packaging sustainability. Overall, the interview shed light on the pressing need for sustainable practices in packaging and the role of cutting-edge solutions in addressing these challenges.
Senator Blakespear recently introduced bill SB1167 in California, to restrict the use of disposable packaging for in-store dining across California. The purpose of the bill was to reduce the waste from these restaurants, as the paper disposable packaging is typically not recycled, specifically because of the polyethylene coating on packaging such as paper cups and takeaway boxes, which makes it incompatible with paper recycling systems, undesirable to recyclers, and therefore typically sent to landfill.
However, Smart Planet Technologies has developed paper-based foodservice packaging that is fully recyclable, like uncoated paper which classifies the material for the premium paper recycling stream, and therefore highly desirable and profitable for the recycling industry, providing new revenue streams in support of California’s recycled paper mills. In Australia, this technology has been proven to have these materials recycled into premium paper goods, such as Hallmark gift wrap and Australian Paper copy paper.
In many studies, disposable paper-based foodservice packaging is a more environmental solution over reusable tableware, but only when the disposable foodservice packaging gets recycled. SB 1167 is well intentioned in the absence of recyclable solutions, but now with the innovation of fully-recyclable foodservice packaging, Will Lorenzi explains that the problem can be solved, without the disruptive effect on California’s restaurant community, and continue to provide the convenience in packaging for the consumer when dining in quick service restaurants.
Will Lorenzi proposes a modification to the bill to allow restaurants to adopt the new packaging materials, establish recycling of these materials across California, before imposing draconian bans when no longer warranted, and especially when studies show that SB1167 is a less environmental solution.
KTLA5 Los Angeles
Interview with Will Lorenzi, CEO of Smart Planet Technologies