UPM and Siegwerk industrialize 90 percent paper secondary packaging in single-pass flexo trials

The transition from multi-material laminates to fiber-based packaging frequently stalls at the pilot stage, where laboratory success fails to translate into high-speed converting environments. Breaking this bottleneck, UPM Specialty Materials, Siegwerk, and machinery manufacturer Uteco have successfully industrialized a secondary packaging structure that pushes renewable paper content up to 90 percent without sacrificing line speed or barrier performance.

Engineering a single-pass functional structure

The core technical achievement lies in the seamless integration of substrate, chemistry, and application technology. The newly validated structure utilizes UPM's barrier base paper as the foundation, which is then functionalized using Siegwerk's CIRKIT BAR SEAL coating. Rather than requiring offline coating processes, the system leverages Uteco's high-definition flexographic technology to apply the barrier and heat-seal layers directly during the printing phase.

Industrial trials confirmed that the coating, printing, and heat-sealing processes can be executed in a single pass. This operational efficiency is critical for converters looking to maintain margins while transitioning away from traditional plastic films. The resulting structure delivers robust resistance to moisture and grease, alongside reliable heat-sealing capabilities necessary for demanding secondary packaging applications.

• Substrate: UPM barrier base paper engineered for dimensional stability.
• Chemistry: Siegwerk CIRKIT BAR SEAL, providing moisture/grease resistance and sealability.
• Application: Uteco high-definition flexography enabling single-pass production.

Standardized recyclability and market impact

According to Marco Tramontano, Sales Director at UPM Specialty Materials, the collaboration proves that paper content can reach the 90 percent threshold while maintaining the rigorous performance metrics required by brand owners. Crucially, because the functional coatings are designed to be repulpable, the final packaging structure is fully compatible with standard paper recycling streams.

This development provides a practical, scalable entry point for consumer goods companies aiming to increase their renewable material ratios. By proving that functional paper structures can be manufactured efficiently on existing flexographic assets, UPM, Siegwerk, and Uteco have moved fiber-based secondary packaging out of the R&D lab and onto the commercial converting floor.