Heat-sealable Henkel coating for safe food contact and recycling

Henkel Adhesive Technologies has reportedly launched a new "fully recyclable" heat-seal coating made from "non-hazardous ingredients" suitable for direct contact with packaging, enabling customers to adopt paper designs for food, pharmaceuticals, home care and other products.

Loctite Liofol HS 2819 RE claims to contain no hazardous substances such as mineral oils, and only "non-hazardous" substances. Henkel says this means the coating can be used to seal primary packaging that comes into direct contact with food without any safety risk.

Under "certain conditions" it is said to comply with the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) as well as European and FDA guidelines.

Meanwhile, "certified testing agencies" are said to have demonstrated the recyclability of this coating. This apparently enables customers to switch plastic packaging to paper alternatives, with Loctite Liofol HS 2819 RE said to be "seamlessly" integrated into the paper converting process, replacing PE and PE-coex paper without compromising the efficiency or performance of the product.

Henkel also highlighted the coating's "excellent" sealability to itself and paper, as well as the "efficiency" of its low onset temperature. The company said it can be applied to both flexographic and gravure technologies, which is expected to maximize strength at high machine speeds.

"The new innovative recyclable compatible heat seal coating opens the way to new sustainable packaging opportunities," said Cagri Turkmen, Henkel's market strategy manager for flexible packaging adhesives in Europe. "With Loctite Liofol HS 2819 RE, we are creating a future-proof, environmentally sustainable solution for a wide range of applications – from hygiene products and tea bags to e-commerce delivery."

Previously, Henkel Adhesive Technologies launched a new hot melt adhesive containing 49% direct bio-based raw materials and 30% ISCC-certified mass balance materials. For folding carton, tray and wrap-around packaging applications, it is expected to save 7,500 kg of CO2 emissions per year.

Smart Planet Technologies recently launched a similar development with a biopolymer version of its EarthCoating barrier coating. This new design applies a 'special mineral blend' to a bio-based PLA resin, which is then applied to recyclable and compostable paper cups. It is a one-off solution designed to improve barrier and heat seal performance compared to 100% plastic coating.

In other news, Pulpex and the University of Surrey have used AI-based computer vision to correct defects when applying barrier coatings to fiber-based bottles, saving energy and water while improving packaging performance. They hope to achieve 100% reliability in the manufacturing process, improve packaging performance, and provide consumers with a more sustainable packaging option.