SAPICI Waterborne PUR Adhesives for Flexible Packaging Help Nurturing Industrial Innovation

SAPICI competence, passion and continued investment in research and development not only allow the Company’s clients to access new, sustainable and effective products and solutions, but they also make available advanced formulations for R&D activities carried on by Universities and other international organizations.

This is the case of a research project conducted by the Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences ? Packaging Division, of the University of Milan, Italy. Coordinated by Prof. Luciano Piergiovanni, the project has investigated the possibility of laminating polyester CNC (Cellulose Nano-Crystals) coated films to a polyolefinic layer by using special waterborne adhesives. In fact, the laminates properties are directly related to the affinity between the laminating film, CNCs and the selected adhesive that represents a key element in the final structure. The best results in terms of oxygen-barrier and mechanical properties have been obtained with the combination of PET coated (CNCs) / PE. SAPICI waterborne specific polyurethane adhesives for flexible packaging have contributed to both the effectiveness and the sustainability values of the studied solutions.

The positive and promising results of the project, aimed at evaluating the feasibility for demanding food packaging of novel multilayer structures, make it possible a complete low impact process: CNCs, the perfect efficiencies of nanotechnologies from renewable resource, no-emission waterborne adhesives, one plastic barrier film less. The final packaging (PET / CNC / waterborne PUD adhesive / PE) shows incredible gas and vapor barrier, and it is now opening new sustainability routes for the food packaging industry.

“Nano-cellulose has potential applications across several industrial sectors and allows the development of innovative materials, as well as the enhancement of conventional materials properties. The nano-scale cellulose can be utilized, in fact, as filler, in composites manufacture, as coating and as self-standing thin films, achieving always very interesting and promising properties. These properties, together with fundamental aspects such as its renewable nature, non-food agricultural based sources, biodegradability and/or biocompatibility, low cost and low energy consumption is attracting a huge attention, pulled also by the general interest towards a sustainable economy able to overcome today’s dependency on fossil sources. The use of nano-cellulose as a barrier coating on common flexible materials, protected by polyolefin layer by means of adequate adhesives, seems the most promising application in the field,” articulated professor Luciano Piergiovanni of the University of Milan.

“SAPICI specific know-how and experience in the development, manufacturing and application of specialty polyurethane adhesives for the Flexible Packaging industry have been instrumental to conduct this scientific investigation, and we are proud of our contribution to its success. SAPICI products once again prove to be at