Innovation in barrier coatings has become a core focus for paper-based packaging suppliers working to create increasingly effective alternatives to plastic packaging. Jennie Berglund, innovation project manager at Smurfit Westrock, highlights maintaining recyclability throughout the supply chain as a major functionality challenge for advanced barrier coating developers. Berglund asserts that the EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive and Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation have “instilled a sense of urgency” in companies to find alternatives to less environmentally sustainable materials — solutions that can be easily recycled without compromising on material strength.
