Solenis x Zume

Zume food packaging in use / Source: Zume

AfricaAsiaEuropeFood & BeverageHardwoodMoulded FibreNorth AmericaOceaniaPackagingPaperSouth America

3 MINUTE READ

Kaltrina Bylykbashi

WHAT WE SAY:

We urgently need to replace billions of plastic food trays. But if the fibre-based ones that replace them require harmful and everlasting PFAS-based coatings, then we have created a devastating trade-off.

So we welcome this initiative from Zume and Solenis – creating a PFAS-free, grease and water-resistant coating for food packaging. Even better, they published the complete recipe online, giving the rest of the industry no excuse not to eliminate these chemicals. Finally, ethics before profit.

KEY FACTS:

In August 2021, sustainable packaging company Zume partnered with chemicals producer Solenis to launch Contour, a grease and water-resistant coating for food packaging that is PFAS-free.
The coating is able to hold oil at 60 degrees celsius for two hours.
Beyond that, the companies open-sourced the recipe and process on FreeFromPFAS.com so that all manufacturers of food packaging can replicate it.
Contour can be produced on existing machinery without modification, at a cost that the companies say is competitive with legacy alternatives.

TopScreen replaces plastic liners for cups / Source: Solenis

Solenis x Zume PFAS-free moulded fibre packaging solutions / Source: Zume

DIVE DEEPER:

PFAS (polyflourinated substances) are plastics that do not break down once in our environment and have been linked to harmful health effects. In the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has mandated that some of these substances be banned from food-contact packaging by January 2024.
Up until recently, PFAS-based coatings have been ubiquitous in food packaging because they resist heat, oil, stains, grease and water. A recent European-wide study showed that out of 42 disposable items studied across restaurants, fast-food chains and supermarkets, 32 had intentionally been treated with PFAS.
PFAS are known toxins that have been linked to harmful health effects including decreased fertility, weaker immune systems and increased risk of certain cancers. While governments around the world work to ban especially harmful strands of PFAS, lesser contact with the chemicals through our food could help to reduce exposure and its inherent risks.
In a report named Putting Forever Chemicals to Rest: An Open-Source Guide to PFA-Free Packaging, Zume and Solenis highlight that the solution was made using North American Hardwood and softwood fibres combined with its TopScreen barrier coating and other additives.
Solenis claims that TopScreen is plastic-free and currently contains 35% renewable content. In 2019, TopScreen won the Innovative Cup Liners category in the NextGen Cup Challenge.
All of the elements that make up the solution are compostable, and the pair of companies have applied for the ASTM D6868 standard to certify it as a compostable product.
Solenis states that it is currently working on a next-generation version which will be able to resist higher oil and water temperatures.

"TopScreen is plastic-free, and currently contains 35% renewable content."

Solenis

Key Design Considerations:

Plastic-free vs bioplastic

While Solenis states its TopScreen water-repellent coating is plastic-free, its water-based, part-renewable formulation may be considered a bioplastic in certain markets and under certain use cases.

Compostability certification

While Zume and Solenis believe the coating is fully compostable, at the time of writing the coating had not yet completed the full ASTM 6868 and the EN 13432 to confirm compostability.

Sharing is caring

Publishing the recipe positions the two companies as leaders, proactively looking out for consumers’ health and wellbeing. While you can be rightly cynical about the purity of Solenis’ and Zume’s motives, it is still a compelling narrative, and one many should follow.

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Solenis x Zume

WHAT WE SAY:

We urgently need to replace billions of plastic food trays. But if the fibre-based ones that replace them require harmful and everlasting PFAS-based coatings, then we have created a devastating trade-off.

KEY FACTS:

DIVE DEEPER:

PFAS (polyflourinated substances) are plastics that do not break down once in our environment and have been linked to harmful health effects. In the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has mandated that some of these substances be banned from food-contact packaging by January 2024.

In a report named Putting Forever Chemicals to Rest: An Open-Source Guide to PFA-Free Packaging, Zume and Solenis highlight that the solution was made using North American Hardwood and softwood fibres combined with its TopScreen barrier coating and other additives.

Solenis claims that TopScreen is plastic-free and currently contains 35% renewable content. In 2019, TopScreen won the Innovative Cup Liners category in the NextGen Cup Challenge.