Metpack, BASF Show Certified Home-Compostable, Coated Paper

For sustainable food packaging, extrusion coating specialist Metpack, Istanbul, now offers coated paper and paperboard which is certified home-compostable according to DIN EN 13432.

Metpack’s Ezycompost paper utilizes a coating with BASF’s ecovio 70 PS14H6. The biopolymer is certified home-compostable (EN 13432 and AS 5810) and adds several functional advantages to paper for food packaging: It is food-contact approved (FDA) and shows excellent barrier properties against liquids, fats, grease, and mineral oil as well as temperature stability at boiling water (up to 100°C).

This combination of proven compostability and excellent performance gives paper packaging manufacturers and food brands the certainty that food packaging articles made of Ezycompost can be safely used by consumers and create no persistent microplastics in home compost after usage.

There is a big trend in society, in some countries driven by legislation, to move from pure plastic to paper-based packaging, which in itself is not suitable for a lot of different foods, especially with liquid or fatty ingredients. The new home-compostable, coated paper by Metpack can be used for many food-contact applications like cold/hot cups as well as pots and trays for deep-freezing or microwave use.

It can be manufactured on standard forming lines, enabling faster coating speeds and 40% thinner coating than polylactic acid (PLA). Ecovio 70 PS14H6 allows for coating line speeds comparable to polyethylene (PE). Typical applications for ecovio are organic waste bags, cling film, fruit and vegetable bags, as well as agricultural mulch films and food packaging applications.

“With Ezycompost, we can offer the food industry the best of both worlds when it comes to coated paper packaging”, says Sühan Gürer, VP sales and new project development at Metpack. “It has the same strength as PE-coated paper but with the added benefit that it is certified compostable and creates no persistent microplastics in organic or paper waste streams. Its faster processing and home-compostability is a double advantage compared to coatings made of PLA, which is industrial compostable only.”

After usage, food packaging made of Ezycompost coated with ecovio 70 PS14H6 can be composted in garden home compost according to national legislation. Thus, BASF’s home-compostable ecovio extends the end-of-life options for paper food packaging.

“Our ecovio 70 PS14H6 is also industrial compostable and performs well in paper recycling”, said Michael Bernhard Schick from global marketing Biopolymers at BASF. “Its home compostability is even certified according to Australian standard AS 5810, which is the most stringent one in the world. Our biopolymer is available with a bio-based content between 70 and 80% of renewable resources according to ASTM D 6866.”