Teknos develops more sustainable coatings for paper and paperboard
Together with industrial partners, Teknos is developing coatings for paper and paperboard that decrease the use of plastic.
As Teknos announces, the companies are creating new moisture and grease resistant surfaces for food packages and disposable tableware made with so called barrier coatings, replacing problematic plastic films. The new barrier coatings will be made for easy recyclability at first, then contain bio-based materials, and ultimately be biodegradable.
“Currently the greatest challenges in developing bio-based coatings are finding uniform raw materials that fit the supply chain, and the availability of raw materials,” says Teknos’ Commercial Manager Tuomas Aspiala.
Lignin as bio-based raw material for coatings
One possible bio-based raw material for coatings that is being researched is lignin. It is renewable and abundant and is a byproduct of various industries such as the pulp industry. Lignin that cannot be reused is currently burned for generating energy.
As the company tells, circular economy and resource efficiency are at the core of Teknos’ operations and R&D. The carbon footprint associated with raw materials purchased plays a major share of a coatings company’s total carbon footprint. One method of reducing the impact is reducing the use of virgin raw materials by using more recycled materials in manufacturing, for instance industrial side streams. Waste created in Teknos’ own manufacturing is recycled as much as possible and used again as raw materials.
