Packaging manufacturers are in a key position between packaging board producers and end users when it comes to the introduction of new packaging solutions. End user demands have increased, particularly with respect to barrier properties. Packages are also required to be recyclable and easily disposable - a goal that cannot be achieved with conventional aluminium laminated liquid packaging. Italpak, which produces packaging for companies in the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, has switched to using the European and USA patented Ensobarr barrier coating, which replaces aluminium laminating in packaging boards.

"Aluminium-free packaging materials are one of the future megatrends in the food industry," says Giordano Magnoni, the Managing Director of the Italian company Italpak. Italpak has focused on packaging for technically demanding products, manufacturing packaging for Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Henkel and L'Oréal. Customers demand that packers ensure packaging material recyclability.
Italpak began a product development project in cooperation with Stora Enso Paperboards which aimed at renewing the salad dressing package manufactured for Fratelli Mantova. A vinaigrette mixture is by no means easy to pack, as it has a tendency to react with the packaging material. Previously, the inside of the package was a plastic-coated aluminium laminate. Microscopic holes appeared in the plastic coating on the aluminium, however, which meant that the vinegar began to react with the aluminium thus producing gas that causes the package to expand.
The Ensobarr coating offered a solution to this problem. It is said to provide packaging board with better oxygen and moisture barrier properties than conventional plastic-based coatings, matching the properties of aluminium laminated board. The packaging solution's barrier was further ensured by sealing the package ultrasonically. The Ensobarr barrier coating has proved its reliability in the market, where the shelf-life of the vinaigrette mixture is several months.
"Aluminium-free packaging materials were developed to meet the demands of the market and this poses an enormous challenge, especially for packaging manufacturers. In addition to technical properties and design, recyclability is currently a key factor," says Mr Magnoni.
Thanks to its barrier properties, the Ensobarr coating can also be used in packaging for sterilised products, an area in which Italpak is a leading manufacturer. The aluminium-free barrier solution also brings packaging manufacturers cost savings.

Caption:
A vinaigrette mixture is by no means easy to pack, as it has a tendency to react with the packaging material. Thanks to its barrier properties, the Ensobarr coating can also be used in packaging for sterilised products.

For further information please contact:

Enso-Eurocan South East Asia Pte. Ltd.
M.D. Tom Alftan
360 Orchard Road
#11-01 International Building
SG-Singapore 238869
Tel: +65 235 3485, Fax: +65 737 4278

Enso-Eurocan Hong Kong Ltd. yrjo.aho@storaenso.com
Mr Donny Chan
Rm.1406, 14th Floor
World Trade Centre
280 Gloucester Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong S.A.R.
Tel: +852 2895 2063, Fax: +852 2576 1480

Paper Agencies (Aust.) Pty Ltd
Mr John Walker
Suite 5, 102 Alfred Street
Milsons Point, NSW 2061
Tel: +61 2 9957 3177, Fax: +61 2 9957 1505

Paper Agencies (Aust.) Pty Ltd
Mr Graham Johnson
554 Burwood Road
Hawthorn, Vic. 3122
Tel: +61 3 9819 4911, Fax: +61 3 9819 4250

Enso (Middle East)
M.D. Pentti Raivio
R/A 8 - HB1
Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai
Mail: P.O.B. 61265
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971 4 836 819, Fax: +971 4 836 826

Enso Interamericas, Inc.
Mr Matts Rehn
8750 Doral Boulevard, Suite 270
Miami, FL 33178
Tel: +1 305 716 9799, Fax: +1 305 716 5441

Enso International, Inc.
Mr Seppo Suuronen
281 Tresser Blvd., 15th Floor
Stamford, CT 06901
Tel: +1 203 978 1755, Fax: +1 203 978 1237

Enso Marketing Co. Ltd.
Mr Roy Bray
Enso House, New Mill Road
GB-Orpington
Kent BR5 3TW
Tel: 01689 836 911, Fax: 01689 829 732

Enso Polska Sp. zo.o.
Mr Henrik Stjernvall
Ul. Dzika 19/23 m.54
PL-00172 Warsaw
Tel: +48 22 635 2540,635 8400, 635 1, Fax: +48 22 635 3229

Stora Enso Paperboards
Yrjö Aho
FIN-55800 Imatra
Finland
Tel: +358 2046 121
Fax: +358 2046 24767
E-mail: yrjo.aho@storaenso.com

Press release images