New Sustainable Development: COSSMA

Sunscreens contain effective UV filters to protect the skin, but they must be specially protected so that they do not lose their effect even before they are used. As a research partner in the field of packaging technology and material development, we already provided a brief overview of the special packaging requirements of sunscreens in Part 1 of this article (COSSMA 1-2 p 26). In this article, we explain how sustainable alternatives could be just as good as polymer-based packaging in the future. In particular, you will find more information about sustainability and the latest developments in paper.

Regarding conventional packaging materials such as polymer or polymer/aluminum laminates, the demands towards sustainability in terms of raw material source and recyclability are often not fulfilled. Biodegradable packaging, such as biopolymer composites with natural fibers, is often promoted as a sustainable alternative, but it limits the end-of-life value of a product and should therefore not be prioritized over the possibility of material recycling. Also playing a role here is the high likelihood of negative consequences due to consumer confusion leading to improper disposal and/or situations where the organic waste treatment is impeded¹.

With this in mind, packaging concepts that incorporate paper are gaining interest. Paper can replace a significant amount of plastic in a laminate as long as key properties such as mechanical stability or barrier effect are fullfilled. The goal of current developments is to minimize the use of non-fiber-based materials to ensure the protective properties of fiber-based packaging while maintaining recyclability. Although renewable fibers can be considered a sustainable material compared to fossil polymers, both total material consumption and end-of-life options must be considered when developing sustainable packaging for cosmetic products. Innovative paper-based packaging is often more favorable from an environmental point of view because it is almost as light as that made of plastic, as exemplified by a comparison of different packaging for textile detergents by the ifeu Institute².

Paper as a sustainable packaging

Since paper is a porous fiber material, it is highly permeable to oxygen, moisture³ and light^4,5, which may be the reason why it has not been widely used for storage-sensitive products. However, different materials can be combined in a packaging laminate to provide the required barrier properties even for fiber-based packaging. In many cases, inorganic barrier layers (such as metallization or thicker aluminum layers) can also be integrated into such a packaging laminate (Figure 1). The latest requirements on the part of cosmetics manufacturers are paper-based solutions, in which paper makes up the majority of the packaging material. This fact has a positive effect on the sustainable use of raw materials as well as a possible recyclability in the paper manufacturing process. Many new developments such as tubes or jars for cosmetic products still require relatively thick (bio)polymer layers, so that less fiber material is available for recycling. In this area IVV takes part in several public funded projects. BiPaRe - “Bio Paper Recycling” investigates the conflicting priorities of the functionality of a coating vs. its recyclability (funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action via the AiF as part of the program for the promotion of industrial community research (IGF) based on a decision of the German Bundestag under the project number 21805 BG)⁶. Another example is “R3PACK – Reduce, Reuse, Rethink Packaging”, working towards the development of industrial, renewable, and primarily recyclable but secondarily compostable/biodegradable, fiber-based food packaging solutions (funded from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 101060806)⁷.

Maximise recyclability

The technical challenges stem from the goal of minimising the use of extraneous materials while maximizing product protection and recyclability. To achieve a high volume content of paper, thin polymer-based coatings are applied to achieve the required barrier properties. However, unlike plastic films, the tendency of paper to swell or shrink under the influence of moisture content can reduce the barrier performance of these nanometer-thick coatings.

The same applies to the mechanical stress of metallised packaging, for example, which already occurs during the packaging process. Research in the field of sustainable paper packaging is therefore concerned with technologies and material combinations that make it possible to ensure constant packaging properties and thus consistent product quality throughout the entire life cycle of a product. R&D activities at the Fraunhofer IVV and from industry are already demonstrating innovative material combinations to meet these challenges.

In conclusion, the wrong choice of packaging material can reduce the quality of the product. Active ingredients may chemically degrade or react by (photo-) oxidation, if light protection and oxygen barrier are insufficient as was already described in the COSSMA 1-2, Article Part 1. An insufficient water vapor barrier can lead to a change in product weight and stability. However, choosing the right packaging material can improve the shelf life and quality of the product. In particular, the right barrier layers, additives and new paper-based packaging concepts can enable innovative sustainable packaging materials and improve of packaging.

References:

European Commission, Directorate-General for Environment, Hilton, M., Geest Jakobsen, L., Hann, S., et al., Relevance of biodegradable and com-postable consumer plastic products and packaging in a circular economy, Publications Office, 2020, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2779/497376
Andreas Detzel; Carolin Bender; Tamara Ettin-ger; Alina Schmidt; Benedikt Kauertz (2021): Verpackungenfür Textilwaschmittel. Ökologie, Abfall, Handhabung – Kurzauswertung. Institut für Energie- und Umweltforschung Heidelberg gGmbH (ifeu).
Khwaldia, K., Arab‐Tehrany, E., & Desobry, S. (2010). Biopolymer coatings on paper packaging materials. Comprehensive reviews in food science and food safety, 9(1), 82-91.
Yao, Y., Tao, J., Zou, J., Zhang, B., Li, T., Dai, J., ... & Hu, L. (2016). Light management in plastic–paper hybrid substrate towards high-performance optoelectronics. Energy & Environmental Science, 9(7), 2278-2285.
Hovi, A., Forsström, P., Mõttus, M., & Rautiai-nen, M. (2017). Evaluation of accuracy and practical applicability of methods for measuring leaf reflectance and transmittance spectra. Remote Sensing, 10(1), 25
https://www.ivv.fraunhofer.de/en/packaging/packaging-development/research-project-bipare.html
https://www.r3pack.eu/

Arielle Springer

Business Development Manager, Frauenhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, Freising, Germany
www.ivv.fraunhofer.de

Kerstin Müller

Research Associate Group bio-based Materials, Frauenhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, Freising, Germany
www.ivv.fraunhofer.de