ACTIVE PAPER ENABLES NEW FUNCTIONALITIES TO PACKAGES

Friday, 20 May 2011 10:53

Paper or board with (bio)active functionalities can help the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry in need for enhanced functionality. In terms of performance, (bio)active paper can help packaged products in two ways. Firstly, it enables the development of completely new types of CPG products based on novel printed functionalities. Secondly, it can be used in companion products, which can help in the choice and use of the product.

Examples of these include different indicating and monitoring tests, such as food or beverage packages that indicate microbiological quality of the products or breath-freshener gum packages that indicate bad breath.

An example of enabling technologies for active paper is the fabrication of fluid-guiding channels on paper by flexographic printing. Additional (bio)chemical functionalities can be embedded by, e.g., inkjet printing within the channels to make this a simple indicator. Technology can also be used to make graphics appear on empty paper. These printed hidden features can be used as interactive elements in combination with static graphics.

The delivery of safe food to the consumer is a key priority to both industry and authorities. Packaging plays a crucial role in safety, as its most important functions are preservation and protection of food. VTT has developed, e.g., time-temperature indicators for monitoring cold chain and oxygen, which can tell whether a food package has been opened before. The first (bio)active elements were adhesive labels, i.e., stickers that could be added to or inside the (food) packaging. The next logical step from add-on indicators was to print the indicators directly onto the labels and the packaging. This simplifies the production process and opens up new design possibilities. In the future, it is likely to become possible to use bioactive paper as packaging material, integrating the novel functions into the package itself and into the companion products discussed above.

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