Michelman has introduced two bio-based, plastic-free coatings, Nuvita Life 4002 and Nuvita Life 4605, for fiber-based retail food packaging applications. The coatings are designed to provide barrier performance while supporting recyclability and compostability in paper packaging structures.
Nuvita Life 4002 is a heat seal coating that provides oil and grease resistance and a mineral oil barrier. It is designed to deliver seal performance across a wide sealing window and can be overcoated, allowing flexibility in packaging design. Nuvita Life 4605 is a topcoat that provides oil and grease resistance, water resistance, and moisture barrier properties for retail food packaging formats.
Both coatings are microplastic-free, SUPD compliant, and 100% bio-based in dry film. They are designed to support compatibility with recycling streams and offer options for compostability, depending on the application. The coatings are aligned with regulatory frameworks including the European Single-Use Plastics Directive and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.
The materials are engineered to be crease resistant and feature a low coefficient of friction, supporting their use on vertical form-fill-seal processing lines. Target applications include pouches and sachets for dry foods, flow wraps for food bars, and envelopes for tea.
“The Nuvita Life series unlocks new possibilities for paperization in retail food applications. These forward-looking technologies allow fiber-based packaging to deliver the high barrier performance converters and brands need while supporting compliance with regulations targeting plastic pollution and waste reduction,” said Lori Gobris, global marketing director, packaging, at Michelman.
The introduction reflects ongoing developments in barrier coatings aimed at enabling fiber-based packaging formats to meet functional requirements traditionally associated with plastic-based materials in food applications.