High performance materials company Ahlstrom has developed a Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) free version of its Coralpack flexible packaging paper for direct wrapping and packing of grease-containing food products.
When grease-resistant packaging papers are produced, fluorochemicals are added in the production process, leaving trace amounts of PFOA as an unintended impurity.
In January 2006, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invited manufacturers of fluorochemicals to commit to reduce by 95% PFOA from their emissions and products’ content by no later than 2010, and to eliminate it totally by 2015.
Finland-based Ahlstrom’s response, now available on request, is the New Generation (NG) version of Coralpack, free of PFOA. The range spans from 32-200g/m² and offers high performance paper characteristics such as printability, laminating, extrusion and crimping.
The company states: “Whatever their grease contents, food products packed or wrapped in Coralpack papers are always free of grease stains, which positively impacts the image of different brands in consumer minds”.
Ahlstrom says the new PFOA-free papers are suited to use in applications such as biscuits, pastries, coffee beans, fast food, take-away food, butter and soup cubes.
