Huhtamaki replaces polyethylene with an aqueous barrier to recover 90% of fiber in frozen food packaging

The transition away from conventional plastics in the frozen food sector faces a persistent technical hurdle: maintaining structural integrity and condensation resistance without relying on traditional polymer laminates. At PACK EXPO International 2026 in Chicago, the Finnish packaging manufacturer Huhtamaki is addressing this operational bottleneck directly at Booth W-48034 with its ICON packaging technology, a solution that replaces standard polyethylene (PE) with a water-based repulpable coating.

Engineering a repulpable barrier for cold chains

Historically, paperboard containers for ice cream and frozen desserts have depended on a PE layer to prevent moisture penetration and structural collapse under freezing conditions. While effective for product protection, this multi-material composition renders the packaging notoriously difficult to recycle in standard municipal streams. Huhtamaki's approach with ICON shifts the material architecture by applying a proprietary aqueous barrier to SFI-certified paperboard.

The industrial implications of this substitution are measurable. According to the company's technical specifications, the ICON material comprises 95% renewable biobased components, verified by ASTM D6866 standards. By eliminating the PE layer, the manufacturing process removes approximately 1.3 tons of polyethylene for every one million cups produced. More critically for the end-of-life phase, the water-based coating allows the packaging to be processed in existing paper recycling facilities, enabling the recovery of more than 90% of the paper fiber.

Operational viability in frozen environments

For converters and brand owners, the adoption of alternative barriers often raises concerns regarding machine runnability and shelf-life performance. Huhtamaki has engineered the ICON containers to maintain the necessary structural integrity required in rigorous frozen supply chains. The water-based coating seals the cup effectively against condensation, a primary cause of fiber degradation in cold storage, ensuring that the transition to a repulpable solution does not compromise the core functionality of the packaging.

• Material composition: SFI-certified paperboard with a proprietary water-based barrier.
• Plastic reduction: Elimination of 1.3 tons of PE per million units.
• Circular economy metric: Over 90% fiber recovery rate during the recycling process.

The deployment of this technology, highlighted among the sustainability solutions at PACK EXPO 2026, signals a definitive maturation in fiber-based packaging. As regulatory pressures and consumer demands for circularity intensify, the ability to substitute fossil-based polymers with repulpable aqueous coatings—without sacrificing the demanding performance criteria of the frozen food segment—establishes a new technical baseline for the paper and converting industry.