TopScreen barrier coatings for cupstock are the answer to market demand for polyethylene-free, recyclable, single-use beverage cups and ice cream cups.
Traditional single-use paper cups are nearly a 100 percent renewably sourced alternative to plastic cups except for one big problem: a thin layer of plastic, typically polyethylene (PE), is laminated on the inside of the cup. This plastic layer acts as a liquid barrier and provides the glue that holds the cup together during the heat-sealing phase of production. Unfortunately, this layer prevents cups from being recycled easily, and it becomes a source of plastic and microplastic contamination in soil and marine environments.
TopScreen barrier coatings for cupstock provide papermakers a versatile toolkit to produce the next generation of cupstock — cupstock that provides a superior liquid barrier without the use of polyethylene. These innovative PE alternatives are waterborne dispersions that can be applied using conventional coating application processes, resulting in coated board that can be converted into cups on existing cup-forming machines. With TopScreen barrier coatings, single-use cups for hot and cold drinks, ice cream, and other applications are recyclable and repulpable and may be compostable.
For paper and board producers and packaging converters, TopScreen barrier coatings for cupstock offer several appealing features and benefits. For example, the coatings:
- Can be applied to single-use cups and short-duration food service items
- Can be applied with standard coating application equipment and processes
- Can be converted on conventional cup forming equipment
- Offer performance and aesthetics comparable to traditional PE-laminated cups
- Are recyclable and repulpable; post-consumer cups can be used to produce new cups or other paper-based packaging products
- May be compostable, with many applications capable of achieving EN 13432 certification
- Comply with global food contact standards, including BfR XXXVI, FDA 21 CFR § 176.170, and GB9685-2016 (pending)
NextGen Cup Challenge
In 2019, Solenis was recognized as one of 12 winners in the NextGen Cup Challenge, a global innovation competition to reimagine the single-use fiber hot or cold cup. After reviewing nearly 500 submissions, judges awarded our TopScreen™ recyclable and compostable barrier coatings technology as a winner in the Innovative Cup Liners category.
