Siegwerk to present new functional paper coatings at Specialty Papers Europe 2024

Siegwerk, one of the leading global providers of printing inks and coatings for packaging applications and labels, announced its participation in Specialty Papers Europe 2024, a premier conference for the specialty paper and packaging industry, taking place on September 3-4, 2024, in Vienna, Austria. Siegwerk experts will be available for discussions at the conference and provide insights into the company’s ink and functional coating portfolio that supports the realization of high-performing, circular paper packaging, including some new barrier and sealing coatings specially designed for paper mills.

“More and more brand owners and manufacturers are turning to renewable and recyclable materials to sustainably pack their products, especially resulting in a growing demand for paper packaging,” says Oliver Waddington, head of Business Development, Circular Economy Coatings at Siegwerk. “This comes with the challenge of functionalizing fiber-based materials like paper in such a way that the barrier and process requirements of the respective packaging application are met, while ensuring smooth disposal in the waste paper recycling process.” Here, functional coatings can play a key role in achieving the required functionalities that are crucial for the performance and durability of the paper packaging without compromising its natural recyclability. A topic the company expert will also address in more detail in his presentation “Functionalizing paper for packaging applications” on day two of the conference.

From barrier coatings through heat seal and protection coatings to delamination and deinking primers, Siegwerk already offers a wide range of water-based and solvent-based functional coatings under its CIRKIT product portfolio today, covering different applications, substrates, coating processes and performances. At Specialty Papers Europe 2024, the company will now take the opportunity to present four new water-based CIRKIT products specially designed for use in paper mills. “Applicable by using standard coating processes, the new functional coatings support the efficient production of recyclable specialty papers with various barrier and sealing functions,” explains Waddington. “Therefore, they enable the realization of innovative paper packaging solutions without the need for plastic-laminates commonly used to gain similar functionalities.” All coatings are available worldwide and are always tailored to individual customer requirements, including specific regional regulations and local market needs.

As part of its new coating applications for paper mills, Siegwerk now introduces CIRKIT BAR SEAL CT 1420 and CIRKIT BAR SEAL CT 1422, two multi-functional coating systems of which the latter is not only suitable for paper and board but also for metallized papers. They both combine good barrier functionality against liquids and water vapor with excellent heat-seal capabilities and thus enable innovative paper solutions without the need for separate plastic lamination. With CIRKIT BAR CT 2513 the company offers another excellent barrier coating for paper mills that features both effective barrier properties against grease and oil as well as high heat resistance. And with CIRKIT NATUBAR CT 4326, there is now also a paper coating solution available that is based on natural raw materials and not only offers a good barrier functionality against liquids, grease and oil but also complies with the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD).

“Packaging sustainability is a complex topic making cross-industry collaboration inevitable for progress,” says Waddington. “That’s why we always seek a proactive exchange and attend selected industry events like Specialty Papers Europe, where we can come together with experts from the entire supply chain to share knowledge, discuss advancements, and explore trends in order to jointly drive the change towards a circular packaging industry.” Today, the company can already look back on various successful development projects with customers and industry partners that have resulted in advanced packaging solutions. Together with Packiro, Siegwerk for example created a sustainable fiber-based packaging solution with high protective barrier properties and 100% recyclability. In other development projects, the company and its partners successfully realized various in-line printed paper pouches with high barrier properties, strong sealing strength and good recyclability, for example for razor blades or peppermint sweets – to just name a few development examples for the paper and board market. “To continue paving the way for an increasing circularity of packaging, our scope of cooperation encompasses the entire packaging ecosystem,” adds Waddington. “And with our latest coating developments, we have now launched the first solutions bringing our technology expertise also to paper mill operators.”

Siegwerk is constantly working on new customized solutions that comply with existing and upcoming regulations of European legislation to actively support the design of circular packaging innovations and thus further strengthen its relevance as development partner for sustainable packaging solutions in the sense of a Circular Economy.