Iggesund launches Bio E barrier coating

Paperboard packaging has come as a welcome change for many food and beverage brands eager to reduce their use of plastic and improve their carbon footprint. And while this has been an enormous improvement in sustainability, the barrier coatings laminated on paperboard to protect food continue to be made mainly from fossil fuel-based plastics.

Holmen Iggesund has launched Bio E, a barrier coating that is made from 75 percent renewable raw materials. Bio E is a big step in the ongoing efforts to develop completely fossil-free barrier coatings that don’t compromise any of the robustness, safety, or functionality achieved with traditional plastic-based (PE) barrier coatings.

This bio-based coating is both liquid and grease resistant. It fulfills European and US FDA requirements for food contact approved for use in microwave ovens and is offered in combination with several of Holmen Iggesund’s paperboards.

‘The previous generation of bio-based barriers were made from about 30 percent renewable raw materials, so Bio E offers a big improvement. Additionally, Bio E has been approved for industrial composting,’ added Per Berglund, product manager for value-added products at Holmen Iggesund.