BASF Offers Sustainable Solutions for the Packaging Industry at Interpack 2017

At Interpack 2017, taking place in Düsseldorf from May 4 to 10, BASF experts and specialists from BTC Europe, the distribution organization of BASF, will present a wide range of products and innovations from its packaging portfolio in hall 10, booth 43.

The broad range of products offered by BASF is focusing on packaging products that reduce the environmental and ecological footprint while still being an economically viable option.

Ultramid Flex F38L is an entirely new, partly bio-based Copolyamide. The softness and extremely high transparency allows manufacturers to use a Polyamide for vacuum skin packaging. The product is immediately soft without conditioning and has 50% less water uptake than Polyamid 6. Furthermore, the bubble stability and BUR (blow-up ratio) can be significantly increased because of the higher melt stability. The new grade has a different O2/CO2 transmission ratio to all other Polyamides and can be used for cheese ripening bags or modified atmosphere packaging.

Ultramid C37LC is a new Copolyamide allowing manufacturers of shrink film for food packaging to achieve higher hot water and hot air shrinkage. Films produced with Ultramid C37LC have a lower crystallinity and are significantly softer and more transparent than films made of conventional Copolyamide. By reducing the crystallization temperature and melting point of the product, the curling of asymmetric films with Polyethylene (PE) or Polypropylene (PP) is significantly reduced.

BASF is presenting the innovative biomass balance approach applied for the packaging industry. Using this concept, renewable raw materials are used as feedstock in the beginning of BASF’s integrated Verbund production system and then allocated to specific sales products. As a consequence, these products save fossil resources and help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. An independent third party validates the required amount of renewable raw materials and certifies the sales product. An example of the biomass balance approach from a customer’s application will be available for visitors to the BASF booth.

BASF offers three different Polymer solutions as a functional barrier coating for paper and cardboard.  These solutions are Ultramid (PA), Polybutylenterephthalat (PBT), as well as ecovio as a biodegradable solution for barrier coatings. Each coating solution offers unique valuable properties in the field of paper and cardboard coating.

Ultradur, a partially crystalline saturated polyester used in single-serve coffee capsules, offers improved oxygen barrier properties than commonly-used PP. Using PBT instead of PP in the containers also allows for the removal of aluminum film as a needed secondary packaging. Better oxygen barrier properties keep the coffee fresher for a longer time, helping to increase shelf life time of the food products.

Compared to conventional plastics, ecoflex offers certified compostability on a fossil basis. As an innovative pioneer in the field of biodegradable polymers it is an important raw material for many compostable and biobased plastics.

ecovio is a high-quality and versatile bioplastic with the advantage of being certified compostable and containing bio based content. The main areas of use for ecovio are plastic films such as organic waste bags, dual-use bags or agricultural films. But also compostable packaging solutions such as migration barrier coating on paper, foam packaging and injection molding products can be produced with ecovio.

BASF’s water-based brands Epotal and Joncryl are a sustainable alternative to solvent-based products and achieve in most cases a comparable performance as solvent-based inks or adhesives.

With Epotal lamination adhesives, BASF offers new options to the flexible packaging industry: The high initial bonding strength of water-based adhesives allows for direct slitting of the laminates. Curing times are almost not required since water-based adhesives are already fully-reacted adhesive systems. They bring increased flexibility to the customer by significantly shortening lead times and making printing and lamination in-line possible. Additionally, water-based adhesives – due to their chemical composition – are inherently safe systems and well suited for food packaging applications. They do not contain any organic solvents nor aromatic isocyanates. The migration potential is virtually eliminated.

With its Joncryl range, BASF offers high-performance resins that enable flexible packaging printers and converters to switch from solvent-based to water-based technologies. The Joncryl FLX portfolio can be considered as the reference in resins for water-based film printing inks. With their excellent resistance and lamination bond strength in combination with high resolubility, they are highly suitable for flexible packaging applications. The Joncryl HSL product line offers options for heat seal lacquers in various applications, providing secure seal and smooth peeling behavior.

Synvina, the joint venture of BASF and Avantium, aims to build-up world-leading positions in furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) and polyethylenefuranoate (PEF). FDCA is produced from renewable resources and an essential chemical building block for the production of PEF, which enables food packaging, films and plastic bottles. Compared to conventional plastics, PEF is characterized by improved barrier properties for gases like carbon dioxide and oxygen. Due to its higher mechanical strength, thinner PEF packaging can be produced and a lower amount of packaging material is necessary. PEF can be recycled.

BASF’s Color & Effects brand is presenting pigments for sensitive applications for printing and plastic applications and  the Metasheen product line. Metasheen is a vacuum metallized pigment (VMP) that allows formulators to print metallic, mirror-like features instead of using metallized substrates or hot-stamping / cold foiling.