Packaging Intelligence Brief

How innovative barrier

materials can extend
product shelf life and
build brand loyalty
BARRIER MATERIALS
About the Packaging Intelligence Brief Series
Packaging plays a critical role in our
global economy and touches the lives
of everyone. For more than 70 years,
the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers
Institute (PMMI) has been the leading
global resource for packaging manu-
facturers to learn about industry trends,
obtain training and get involved in
networking events.
PMMI is proud to introduce the Packaging
Intelligence Brief series which focuses on
trends that are shaping the future of the
industry. Over the next year, PMMI will
regularly release Packaging Intelligence
Briefs to address various topics that are
significantly impacting packaging and
outlining how suppliers and manufacturers
are responding to market needs.
Packaging Intelligence Brief
BARRIER MATERIALS
INTRODUCTION
With hundreds of new products launched
every week around the globe, building brand
loyalty is challenging. Factors like visually
appealing packaging, convenience and price
are all important and help consumers make
decisions at point-of-purchase. But what turns
a rst-time buyer into a repeat purchaser? The
aforementioned attributes will certainly have
an inuence, but product freshness also plays
a critical role in brand success.
Following is an overview of some of the most
recent trends in barrier films and related
packaging elements that are quickly growing
in demand and making their mark upon the
consumer products goods industry.
BARRIER FILMS IN FLEXIBLE PACKAGING
Improved barrier films comprise one of
the primary trends in flexible packaging.
Extending shelf life with better barriers and
combining them with packaging more conve-
nient for both the manufacturer and consumer
is key. This has enabled exible packaging
from standup pouches to retort packag-
ing to steadily grow in areas traditionally
dominated by rigid formats. In fact, exible
packaging has grown to comprise 17 percent
of the $127 billion packaging market in the
United States, making it the second most used
packaging type in the country, according to
recent statistics from the Flexible Packaging
Association.
Flexible packagings compatibility with a
wide range of production processes, lling
methods and handling, combined with its
lighter weight and eye-catching printabili-
ty, contribute to its increasing success with
manufacturers, retailers and consumers. For
instance, Alcan Packaging Food Americas
(Chicago, IL) award-winning ClearShield
high-barrier shrink bag for bone-in meats
is a co-extrusion of polyethylene and
polyamide that is oriented using a proprietary
process. The combination produces a lm with
outstanding puncture resistance, clarity,
barrier and ease-of-use for packaging
bone-in meat products.
MOVING BEYOND FOIL-BASED
SOLUTIONS
Aluminum foil has long been a reliable
constituent of moisture barrier films. The
aluminum foil itself has excellent barri-
er properties, blocking both moisture and
gas transmission, and considered by many
to be unmatched by plastic films to date.
However, foil tends to crease when exed, as
happens in the course of case packing and
shelf stocking of pouches. This can lead to a less-
than-attractive shelf presence as well as cause
pinholes in the thinner foil gauges, breaching
the barrier and reducing its effectiveness.
Toray Plastics (America) Inc. (North Kings-
town, RI) recently introduced a line of PC
metallized propylene lms that are specically
designed as replacements for foil laminates.
Earlier this year, for instance, Unilever chose
the new Torayfan

PC1 lm to replace the

traditional PPFP (paper-polyethylene-foil-poly-
How innovative barrier materials can extend product shelf
life and build brand loyalty
Packaging Intelligence Brief
BARRIER MATERIALS
ethylene) packaging used for its popular Knorr
and Lipton products. The choice followed a
six-month trial that demonstrated that the
new lm delivered superior barrier protection
that would enhance brand image while also
reducing packaging costs.
Exxon Mobil Chemical Company (Macedon,
NY) has also developed lm designed to
replace foil laminates. The companys
Very High Barrier Metallyte lm is a new
generation of Exxons Metallyte OPP lm that
features enhanced barrier protection, making
it an attractive replacement for aluminum
foil. Metallyte 18XM383 provides among the
best barrier properties available in uncoat-
ed metallized lms and protects sensitive
products against moisture and aroma loss
or uptake, oxidation, ultraviolet light
degradation, and avor loss.
Metallyte XM383 provides an excellent
water vapor transmission (WVTr) barrier, be-
low 0.1g/m2/24h, which can extend product
shelf life compared to other metallized lms.
In addition, the good oxygen barrier, below
7cm3/m2/24h, makes this lm an excellent
choice for modied atmosphere packaging
(MAP), where maintaining inert gas conditions
helps preserve foods sensitive to oxidation.
WHEN FOIL AND METALLIZING ARE NOT
VIABLE OPTIONS
Some products need a protective barrier like
that provided by aluminum foil or metallized
polyester lm composites, but cant use ei-
ther because the metal can potentially inter-
fere with anti-theft devices currently used in
retail packages and may cause similar
problems with future technologies such as
radio frequency identication (RFID) transmis-
sions. According to a 2004 Food Engineering
study, 22% of surveyed respondents indicat-
ed that their companies were already imple-
menting RFID tagging initiatives.
1
As RFID
inspection and inventory use increases further,
the use of foil and metallized lm in packaging
can become a signicant problem.
Rollprint

Packaging Products, Inc. (Addison,

IL) has developed an alternative called Clear-
Foil

, a trademarked line of clear, high barrier

lms that do not contain any metal, as oxides
of the aluminum actually provide the barrier
properties. The original ClearFoil

lm of-
fered a barrier approaching that of 1 mil foil,
but in an absolutely clear lm. This allows
users to view package contents, an important
factor in the medical device and other markets.
The product line continues to grow because
it meets important needs in a wide range
of industries for lms that are sterilizable,
transparent and appropriate for oxygen/
moisture sensitive products.
The ClearFoil

line of flexible, ultra-high

barrier, transparent laminations now includes
dozens of products that meet a wide range
of barrier requirements and use numerous
methods, including silicone oxide (SiOx) and
aluminum oxide (Al2O3), to achieve the unique
barrier requirements of individual customers
in a variety of industries.
Rollprint has also recently launched its new
Packaging Intelligence Brief
BARRIER MATERIALS
ClearForm formable film, a proprietary
copolymer blend that offers outstanding
toughness and exceptional clarity, along with
an unusually wide thermoforming process-
ing window. As an alternative to traditional
bottom webs such as EVA/Surlyn/EVA, nylon
coextruded lms, and other polyethylene-
based polymeric blends, it provides equal crit-
ical performance benets at reduced cost.
SENSING PRODUCT CONDITIONS INSIDE
OF THE BARRIER
When sensitive products are shipped over
long distances in various conditions, even
with an intact moisture barrier in place, it
is impossible to conrm that the barrier is
working and the product remains protected
without some kind of sensor. Desiccare, Inc.
(Pomona, CA) manufactures a full line of
Humidity Indicating Cards (HIC) that offer a
low-cost method of indicating humidity condi-
tions for various types of barrier packaging,
including MIL Spec (MIL-I-8835) applications.
Cards range in size from 2 x 1.5 inches through
4.5 x 1.5 inches, depending on humidity capac-
ity, and can be custom printed as needed.
The cards indicate humidity conditions with-
in various types of barrier packaging, and
are often used in conjunction with a desic-
cant that helps maintain low humidity. The
indicator cards change color as humidity rises,
changing gradually from blue to pink with
each increase in moisture presence, allow-
ing instant visual verication of in-package
conditions and product integrity.
OPENING & RECLOSING
While barrier lms are designed to protect a
product while its packaging is intact, packages
eventually have to be opened. As consumers
demand more and more convenient packag-
ing, that act of opening and increasingly,
reclosing has become a challenge for bar-
rier package developers. In order to create a
package that protects against moisture and
oxygen ingress but is also convenient to open
and reclose, more packagers are incorporating
zipper closures, a feature supported by more
than 70% of end users, according to a recent
packaging supplier consumer survey.
2
In most cases, to gain the advantage of easy-
opening convenience on barrier lm pack-
aging, the zipper is either below the barrier,
which has to be opened to access it, or the
barrier ends below the zipper and a hermet-
ic seal has to be broken to use it. However,
Zip-Pak (Manteno, IL), a division of Illinois
Tool Works, has developed a new zipper that
incorporates a seal in the zipper ange. If
a packager wants to provide an easy-open
feature on a barrier package, and accessing
the zipper necessitates the lm being laser
scored or perforated, the seal maintains the
barrier that would be compromised by the
score or perforation. The process of forming
the package is also new, as the seal has to go
around the ends of the zipper prole as well
as below it.
This new zipper is specially engineered to of-
fer a light peel-seal force, not exceeding more
than 2-3 pounds, which is enough to maintain
1US Department of Commerce, Ofce of Health and Consumer Goods. 2006 Processed Food Outlook. 5 August 2006: 8
(www.ita.doc.gov/td/ocg/outlook06_processedfoods.pdf)
2Pan Demetrakakes, Improved zippers are on the fast track: sliders and other enhancements make zippers easier to use for both packagers and consumers, Food & Drug
Packaging April 2002: http://ndarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0UQX/is_4_66/ai_87740061
Packaging Intelligence Brief
BARRIER MATERIALS
the barrier but is easy enough to open, offer-
ing consumers convenience. This product also
offers a tamper evidence feature. Zip-Pak also
produces its popular ZIP-PAK

Slider with
barrier protection. The slider incorporates a
scored, folded connected ange below the
slider prole that provides the seal.
CONCLUSION
Flexible packaging has become one of the
fastest growing packaging formats, offering
excellent convenience and visual appeal for
consumers. New technologies that enhance
barrier protection properties, product safety
and ease-of-use, such as the new wave of
barrier lms, desiccants and resealable clo-
sures, are pushing this trend even further as
consumers demand more value-added pack-
aging features.
About PMMI
The Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Insti-
tute (PMMI) is a trade association whose more
than 500 members manufacture packaging
and packaging-related converting machin-
ery in the United States and Canada. The
association also has more than 20 supplier
members who manufacture commercially
available packaging machinery components.
PMMIs vision is to be the leading global re-
source for packaging. Its mission is to improve
and promote members abilities to meet the
needs of their customers.
PMMI also produces three tradeshows: PACK
EXPO International, PACK EXPO Las Vegas
and EXPO PACK Mxico.
Visit www.pmmi.org for more information.
About PACK EXPO
With more than 1,900 exhibitors showcasing
a diverse range of advanced, high perfor-
mance packaging materials and equipment,
PACK EXPO International 2006 will be the
years largest, most comprehensive resource
for packaging strategies that build brands.
Being held October 29 November 2,
2006 at Chicagos McCormick Place,
PACK EXPO will be co-located with PROCESS
EXPO and the Converting & Package
Printing EXPO (CPP EXPO).
PACK EXPO Las Vegas will be held October
15-17, 2007 at the Las Vegas Convention
Center in Las Vegas, NV.
EXPO PACK Mxico, the premier packaging
show in Mexico serving the Latin American
region, will be held June 26-29, 2007 at Centro
Banamex, Mexico City, Mexico.
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