Water-based barrier coatings have a long history in fiber-based food-packaging. They can be applied on paper and board with various applications methods.

The advantage of dispersion coatings is that recyclability of coated fiber products in general is easier compared to plastic lamination. However, there are still challenges with the dispersion coating, which are typically related to the barrier performance and to the coat weight. The tightening legislation is increasing the pressure to reduce the coat weight, improve the fiber plastic ratio as well as recyclability.

We will discuss the current methods for achieving barriers for molded fiber products for food packaging and about the challenges related to them. We will also demonstrate the effect of a novel food contact approved commercially available additive on the applicability and performance of water-based dispersion barrier coatings, leading to improved barrier performance and faster drying of the coatings. This will have a strong impact on the sustainability of packaging, saving in raw material cost and help to obtain plastic fiber ratio that meets the limits set by the regulations.

• Current solutions and challenges of molded fiber barrier technologies
• Benefits of water-based dispersion barrier coatings
• Challenges related to the applicability of dispersion barrier coatings on molded fiber items and how to overcome them with microfibrillated cellulose
• Benefits of the new additive on the barrier performance of barrier coatings and opportunities for higher fiber to plastic ratio and recyclability