BASF and Turkish extrusion coating specialist Metpack have introduced a certified home-compostable coated paper solution for food packaging, aiming to enhance sustainability in the industry.
Metpack’s Ezycompost paper, coated with BASF’s biopolymer ecovio® 70 PS14H6, is certified home-compostable according to DIN EN 13432 and Australian standard AS 5810. The biopolymer is food-contact approved (FDA) and offers excellent barrier properties against liquids, fats, grease, and mineral oil, with temperature stability up to 100°C. This combination ensures that food packaging made of Ezycompost can be safely used by consumers and will not create persistent microplastics in home compost after usage.
The coated paper can be used for various food-contact applications, including cold/hot cups, pots, and trays suitable for deep-freezing or microwave use. It can be manufactured on standard forming lines, enabling faster coating speeds and a 40% thinner coating compared to polylactic acid (PLA). Ecovio® 70 PS14H6 allows for coating line speeds comparable to polyethylene (PE) and can be processed by mono or co-extrusion without adhesives.
“With Ezycompost, we can offer the food industry the best of both worlds when it comes to coated paper packaging,” said Sühan Gürer, Vice President Sales and New Project Development at Metpack. “It has the same strength as PE-coated paper but with the added benefit that it is certified compostable and creates no persistent microplastics in organic or paper waste streams.” The paper solution is certified up to a grammage of 334 gsm in total composition.
Michael Bernhard Schick from Global Marketing Biopolymers at BASF added, “Our ecovio® 70 PS14H6 is also industrial compostable and performs well in paper recycling.” The biopolymer is available with a bio-based content between 70 and 80 percent of renewable resources according to ASTM D 6866. A certified biomass-balanced (BMB) grade is also available, offering a 25% lower product carbon footprint than the standard ecovio® grade.
This collaboration between BASF and Metpack provides the food packaging industry with a sustainable alternative that meets performance requirements while supporting environmental goals.
