Arjowiggins debuts translucent barrier paper

By Jim Cornall

- Last updated on GMT

Arjowiggins said it is working with packaging converters to open up applications for Sylvicta, including metalized versions for butter or margarine packaging. Pic: Arjowiggins
Arjowiggins said it is working with packaging converters to open up applications for Sylvicta, including metalized versions for butter or margarine packaging. Pic: Arjowiggins

Related tags Packaging Sustainability compostable packaging Butter margarine

Paper manufacturer Arjowiggins has launched Sylvicta, which it said is a new sustainable alternative to plastics in packaging.

Sylvicta is a translucent, functional barrier paper the company said has been proven to preserve the quality of food as well as conventional plastics do, but with a limited environmental impact. The paper is fully recyclable, compostable, marine degradable and made from renewable raw materials.

Sylvicta has a very high barrier to oxygen – the leading cause of food spoilage – which means it can reduce food waste by prolonging shelf life during the transportation, retail and consumer phases of the value chain.

Through fiber refining, Arjowiggins' R&D teams developed the translucent paper with a natural bonding, without using any harmful chemicals. The result is a paper with a barrier to oxygen, aroma, mineral oils and fatty foodstuffs.

When running through conventional converting lines, Sylvicta can be foil-stamped, glued, embossed, printed in offset, gravure, and flexography, metalized, or coated with heat or cold-sealable materials.

Arjowiggins said it is working with packaging converters to open up applications for Sylvicta — from pouches for dry fruits, bags for salads, sachets for solid soap, sacks for pet food and flow-packs for chocolate bars, and metalized versions for butter or margarine packaging.

"Despite the ongoing movement towards more sustainable packaging, plastics still remain a popular choice, largely for practical reasons. Until now, most of the existing offer, mainly in single-use packaging, use unrecyclable, multi-layered laminates incorporating plastics or aluminum foil,"​ Christophe Jordan, managing director of the translucent papers division at Arjowiggins, said.

"With Sylvicta, such solutions can be turned into fully recyclable, compostable and biodegradable paper packaging. The product is simply revolutionary."

Sylvicta is FSC and PEFC-certified, produced on a site that's ISO 14001-compliant, and is carbon-offset through the World Land Trust's Carbon Balanced program.