Barrier Packaging in the Real World
By: Dante Ferrari, Celplast Metallized Products Limited Two trends are driving much of the innovation in laminations using metallized film today. Sustainability has become a key driver for companies in the packaging and converting industry and it is a major area of focus for consumers, retailers, brand owners, converters and legislators. It has become apparent over the last few years that this is not a trend but a core belief and means of reducing costs throughout the packaging industry1. Another trend is a move to higher barrier packaging. As the market becomes more fragmented with a proliferation of SKU’s, these SKU’s are more likely to spend time in the supply chain before being purchased by the consumer. In addition, a move to healthier, all-natural foods with fewer preservatives means barrier requirements are increasing even for products spending the same amount of time in the supply chain and on store shelves. Both of these trends will be examined in the structures evaluated in this study. However, we are going beyond evaluating barrier in a flat sheet form. Consumer goods companies are becoming more aware of the fact that barrier properties can change as a package travels through the supply chain. Therefore, barrier properties measured in a flat sheet are not necessarily as representative of the final use as barrier properties as […]