UPM × Uteco x Siegwerk: Paper-based secondary packaging with moisture and grease resistance

UPM Specialty Materials, Siegwerk and Uteco have created a paper-based solution for secondary packaging. It resists moisture and grease, seals with heat and is recyclable through standard paper recycling streams.

Moisture and grease resistance in paper-based secondary packaging

How paper, coating and converting expertise came together

Developed together by UPM, Siegwerk and Uteco.
Can be made with UPM Prego™ or UPM Solide™ Lucent barrier base paper, combined with
Siegwerk’s CIRKIT BAR SEAL coating.
Gives moisture and grease resistance and built-in heat sealing.
Uteco’s flexographic (flexo) printing technology can combine coating, printing and heat sealing in a single pass.
Paper content can reach up to 90% in this type of packaging. Recyclable according to CEPI/4evergreen v2.

A practical way to test paper in secondary packaging

Brand owners are looking for packaging that performs well in use and runs smoothly in production. Packaging rules are also changing in many regions. In the EU, the PPWR sets new requirements. In the United States, several states, including California, Oregon, and Colorado, have enacted packaging EPR laws that shift the costs of packaging waste collection and recycling to packaging producers.

Secondary packaging is a practical place to start. The primary packaging continues to protect the product, so brand owners can test paper-based formats and increase renewable material content.

Who benefits

The solution is designed for brand owners and converters

Brand owners can increase renewable material content and test paper-based formats in demanding applications.
Converters can save time, energy and production costs.

Co-creation in practice

UPM, Siegwerk and Uteco developed and tested the solution together. Each partner brought its own expertise, from barrier paper to coating and converting. The result is a paper-based solution that has run in a joint production trial.

“Together with Uteco and Siegwerk, we have shown that paper content can be increased to up to 90% in such packaging, while maintaining the performance required for demanding applications,” says Marco Tramontano, Sales Director, UPM Specialty Materials.

“Coatings play a critical role in enabling the next generation of paper packaging.
By applying our CIRKIT BAR SEAL technology onto UPM's barrier paper using Uteco's advanced flexographic process, we have created a recyclable paper-based solution that delivers the functional performance converters and brand owners expect. This project shows how innovation in coatings can help unlock new opportunities for reducing dependence on fossil-based packaging materials,” says Gilles Le Moigne, Head of Circular Economy Coatings at Siegwerk

Moisture and grease resistance in paper packaging, with a simpler production process

Uteco’s flexographic technology can combine coating, printing and heat sealing in a single pass. This can help converters simplify production and save time, energy and costs. The mock-ups shown here were made in two steps: the coating was applied first and the printing was done afterwards.

“Our joint production trial showed that paper packaging can perform efficiently at industrial scale. By integrating coating, printing and heat sealing in a single pass, made possible by advanced technology and the right equipment, this solution helps converters produce functional paper packaging while saving time, energy and production costs,” says Uteco's Printing & Technical Department.

UPM × Uteco × Siegwerk: Paper-based secondary packaging with moisture and grease resistance