Nadine Gund, Sonia Morselli – BASF
UPM Specialty Materials (UPM) and BASF are collaborating to help brand owners, converters and formulators accelerate the transition to recyclable*, fiber-based packaging solutions. By combining UPM’s barrier and barrier base papers with BASF’s Joncryl® HPB (High Performance Barrier) barrier technology resins, the collaboration enables high-performance, fiber-based materials while supporting the transition away from conventional mixed packaging structures.
Driven by increasing regulatory requirements and ambitious recyclability targets (e.g. Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste), the packaging industry is increasingly moving towards design-for-recycling concepts. The collaboration between the two companies demonstrates how carefully matched materials and barrier technologies can deliver excellent protection performance while enabling recyclable, fiber-based packaging UPM’s barrier and barrier base papers, such as UPM Solide™ Lucent and UPM Asendo™, are specifically designed for demanding packaging converting and printing applications. When combined with coatings based on Joncryl® HPB polymers, they enable the development of packaging materials suitable for a wide range of food and non-food applications that meet demanding regulatory requirements.
“The transition to recyclable fiber-based packaging requires both advanced barrier performance and close collaboration across the value chain. Our barrier papers are developed to support co-creation with partners, enabling new, high-performance packaging applications. The collaboration with BASF demonstrates how combining innovative barrier technologies with barrier papers can deliver functional, recyclable solutions that accelerate the packaging transformation”, said Mika Uusikartano, Senior Manager, Product Portfolio Management, UPM Specialty Materials.
“The demand for sustainable packaging solutions is growing rapidly along the value chain – from brand owners to converters and formulators. UPM’s premium paper grades for flexible packaging, combined with barrier coatings based on waterborne Joncryl® HPB resins form a strong and credible reference approach for the development of paper-based alternatives designed to replace plastic-based or PE-laminated structures”, said Rolf Alles, Director of Sales Resins EMEA at BASF.
Sonia Morselli, Sales and New Business Development Resins for Printing & Packaging BASF, talks about manufacturing challenges, sustainability and the industry transaction towards these new technologies.
QWhat are the main production and formulation challenges for Joncryl® HPB resins in replacing PE laminated paper or multi-material structures with paper-based coated systems?
“The main challenges in replacing PE-laminated paper or multi-material structures lie in ensuring adequate barrier performance, particularly against oxygen, water vapour and Grease, together with heat-sealing properties and compatibility with existing industrial processing lines. In this context, Joncryl® HPB resins are designed to enable high-performance formulations in paper-based systems optimized for recycling, offering a balance between barrier properties, sealability and processability in water-based coatings. It is important to note, however, that currently available paper-based barrier-coated solutions provide very good performance at medium to medium-high barrier levels, but do not yet fully match the performance of highbarrier multilayer structures, for which solutions such as metallization are also being explored. The transition to these new solutions requires strong coordination across the entire value chain. A key challenge lies in their integration into existing packaging lines, which are typically designed for plastic materials or laminated structures. Adapting these lines to new paper-based substrates may require operational or technological modifications. In this context, collaboration among material manufacturers, formulators, converters, machinery manufacturers, and brand owners, such as through partnerships with companies like UPM, represents a critical enabling factor”.
Regarding the resins you supply, is there a share of bio-based content in your formulations?
“Joncryl® HPB resins have been developed with the aim of ensuring high technical performance and full compliance with regulatory requirements. Today, the mass balance approach certified under the ISCC+ scheme, represents the most effective solution to integrate bio-based content up to 100% of the composition, while maintaining performance and compliance and ensuring full compatibility with existing industrial processes. At the same time, development activities are ongoing to increase the direct use of renewable raw materials, while meeting the performance requirements of the target applications”.
Are there currently any technical limitations in fully replacing PE-laminated structures with barrier coatings on paper? What solutions are you developing to bridge this performance gap?
“Barrier coatings have already achieved performance levels comparable to paper/PE laminates, both in terms of barrier properties and heat-sealing performance. However, these are relatively recent technologies that must compete with wellestablished solutions such as PE laminates, which have been optimized over decades from both a technical and a cost perspective. Today, the main gap to be addressed relates to industrialization: the integration of these new materials into existing packaging lines, which are often designed for conventional structures. As I said before, close collaboration between all the players in the supply chain is essential to support the development and diffusion of these solutions”.
Which packaging market segments do you expect will see the fastest adoption of paper-based solutions as a replacement for traditional PE-laminated structures?
“New paper-based solutions with barrier coatings other than PE are emerging as alternatives to PE laminates across a range of segments, from food service to flexible packaging for both food and non-food applications (pouches, bags, wrappers), as well as carton-based rigid packaging. At present, it is difficult to identify a single segment that will adopt these solutions faster than others. Regulatory developments and the current climate of uncertainty may slow down decision-making processes, but they do not stop innovation. Solutions are already available on the market, and it is expected that the transition will be gradual rather than rapid, depending on the time required for industrialization of the different solutions, including the development of large-scale recyclability”.
Note
* UPM packaging papers are certified recyclable according to CEPI v. 2.0 (Europe), PTS-RH 021/97 cat II and WMU SBS-E (U.S.). BASF Joncryl® HPB line has been shown not to negatively impact paper recyclability according to CEPI v. 2.0 (Europe). Third-party testing of the complete structure is ongoing.
