Sustainability Award

Unifoil
Product: UniLustreŽ paper or paperboard or UltraLustreŽ film or rigid plastics

The AIMCAL members are winners in the association's first Sustainability Award Competition. Part of a larger awards program that includes Technology of the Year and Vacuum Metallized or Coated Product of the Year prizes, the Sustainability Award Competition honors equipment, materials or processes that reduce environmental impact, minimize energy usage or waste, and/or increase recycling. Unifoil received recognition for the waste reduction achieved by transfer-metallizing UniLustreŽ paper or paperboard or UltraLustreŽ film or rigid plastics to create a metallized or holographic substrate that conserves material and improves recyclability.

The proprietary UniLustre transfer-metallizing process and patented and patent-pending UltraLustre electron-beam transfer-metallizing process apply an extremely thin 0.0003-inch layer of metal directly to the substrate, eliminating the need for multilayer film, film/paper or foil/paper laminates that can be difficult to recycle due to their multi-material nature.

The 100% solids, transfer-metallizing processes use no solvents or water and require no drying, thereby saving the energy consumed by thermal or infrared dryers. They also permit the carrier film to be recycled and used for a new film application.

The resulting single-ply, metallized substrates eliminate warping or curl problems encountered with multilayer laminates and represent a weight savings of 5% (based on the average folding carton), or about 3.7 pounds per thousand square feet, due to the elimination of the metallized PET layer. Downgauging means higher yield with about 5% more material per roll or skid. With a negligible amount of metal, the mono-material substrate can be recycled in traditional waste streams. UniLustre paper and paperboard is repulpable and compostable and may contain recycled content. In addition, pattern metallizing can impart special decorative effects or security features, enhance the functionality of seal areas, or offer the potential for additional cost savings. The end result is a metallized or holographic material that costs the same or less than competing laminations.

UniLustre applications include folding cartons, paper labels, fiber-based point-of-sale materials, printed materials, and lottery tickets. UltraLustre applications include in-mold labels, in-mold-decorated items, credit and gift cards, stadium cups, tubes for personal-care products, static-cling vinyl graphics, and point-of-purchase signage/displays. The judges viewed the replacement of multilayer structures with direct-metallized mono-materials as a significant win for the environment due to the combination of source reduction and improved recyclability. Transfer-metallizing to produce UniLustre paper and paperboard or UltraLustre film or rigid plastic packaging also is a low-energy process. "There's no heat involved, so that saves energy," commented one judge.

Sustainability Award

DuPont Teijin
Product: Mylar ECO PET lidding film

DuPont Teijin's Sustainability Award recognizes the environmental impact of its heat-sealable Mylar ECO PET lidding film with 30% post-consumer-recycled (PCR) content derived from PET bottles, 35% post-industrial recycled content, 35% virgin PET. Process adjustments ensure the film with the RPET content performs that same as 100% virgin material.

Every pound of recycled content incorporated in the film reduces the demand for virgin PET by the same amount, thereby lowering crude oil and energy consumption and shrinking the product's carbon footprint. Expanding demand for PCR content also serves as an incentive for consumers to recycle their empty PET bottles so fewer end up in landfills. Introduced in 2007 in the United Kingdom and in 2008 in the United States, the heat-sealable Mylar ECO PET lidding films are acceptable for food-contact for reheat applications in both the European Union and the United States. Applications include cap liners and lidstock for fresh-cut produce and frozen and chilled meals. Options include shred resistance, anti-fogging properties, dual-ovenability, clean peel, controlled respiration, barrier coatings, and self-venting. The judges predict Mylar ECO PET lidding will have a worldwide impact. They also liked the dual benefit of the material. It not only recycles post-consumer PET bottles, but also keeps those bottles out of the landfill. "We're gaining a new product while at the same time reducing waste," noted one judge.