HYBRID PACKAGING MATERIALS


and potentially light, while also being capable of running at speed through established packaging machinery. A paper substrate alone may not provide all of those properties, but a carefully engineered coating can add functionality without requiring the same multilayer construction used traditionally.


The coating becomes the technology This is where coatings are beginning to take on a role that goes far beyond simply finishing a package. Michelman is developing this approach, with its Nuvita Life range of


bio-based, plastic-free


coatings introduced in April 2026. Nuvita Life 4002 is a heat-seal coating designed to provide oil and grease resistance and mineral-oil barrier performance, while Nuvita Life 4605 is a topcoat designed to provide oil and grease, water and moisture barrier properties. The significance is that functionality


can increasingly be engineered onto a fibre-based substrate rather than built into a separate plastic layer. Michelman’s approach also demonstrates how several functions can be brought together within the coating itself. Heat sealing, grease resistance, water resistance and moisture protection can each be incorporated according to the requirements of the finished structure. The company describes the coatings as being designed to deliver high barrier performance while supporting recyclability and compostability for fibre-based retail food packaging. That direction is particularly relevant to confectionery, where grease is not an incidental packaging concern but one of the fundamental reasons highly engineered structures are used in the first place. A chocolate product can contain


significant amounts of fat, while fillings, creams


and nut-based ingredients


introduce further opportunities for migration. Simply replacing a plastic film with untreated paper would therefore solve only part of the packaging problem. The more sophisticated proposition


is to use the paper for the structural component while using a very thin functional coating to provide the properties the paper itself lacks. That also fits with Cargill’s argument


around starch-based coatings. If barrier functionality can be delivered through a thin layer rather than another substantial structural material, packaging developers can begin to reduce complexity without necessarily compromising product protection. Michelman’s work with UPM and BOBST takes that concept further. The


Making the ink work harder The same principle is now moving into an unexpected part of the package: the printed layer. In June 2026, Siegwerk launched CIRKIT OXYBAR WHITE, combining oxygen-barrier functionality and white ink in a single printable layer. Rather than adding a dedicated oxygen- barrier layer to a packaging structure, the company has integrated that functionality into the ink itself. The development follows Siegwerk’s


earlier CIRKIT GREASEBAR WHITE, which


white-ink functionality in one layer.


combined grease-barrier and It


represents a subtle but important shift in packaging design. Instead of continuing to add specialist layers whenever a new performance


requirement emerges,


UPM Specialty Materials and Paramelt have jointly developed a bio-based and paper-based food packaging concept.


three companies announced in May 2026 that they had developed two paper-based packaging concepts by combining UPM’s fibre-based materials, Michelman’s bio-based coatings and BOBST’s coating-line expertise. One of the concepts is aimed at


applications requiring improved oxygen barrier performance, including single- pack cookies and chocolate. Michelman’s Senior Scientist Iulia Mihai points to the central engineering challenge: “Barrier performance must remain equivalent to existing market solutions” while the materials also need to work with current packaging lines. That is arguably where the hybrid


packaging conversation becomes most interesting. Sustainability is no longer being considered solely as a material- selection exercise. The substrate, coating, sealing technology and production process increasingly have to be designed together.


the industry is looking at whether existing layers can perform several jobs simultaneously. “With CIRKIT OXYBAR WHITE, we are


redefining what an ink can do,” says Gilles Le Moigne, Head of Circular Economy Coatings at Siegwerk. For packaging developers, the


attraction is obvious. If oxygen protection can be delivered through a printable layer that would already be present for visual purposes, the structure can potentially be simplified without removing functionality. Siegwerk says its new technology is intended to reduce the number of layers, passes and materials required, while also supporting higher productivity. The company is applying the same


philosophy to mono-material packaging. In a separate project with Enplater, Siegwerk demonstrated a mono-PP pouch incorporating its oxygen-barrier technology, with the barrier functionality applied in-line alongside the printing process. The development illustrates an alternative


route to the hybrid model. Rather than combining paper with a bio-based coating, the packaging remains within a polymer family while functional chemistry is introduced through inks and coatings. For confectionery, this distinction


really is important. Not every application will necessarily be suited to a paper- based wrapper, particularly where very high moisture or oxygen protection, flexibility or sealability are required. A mono-polymer structure with a highly functional coating may therefore offer a more practical route for some products. The wider lesson is that “mono-


material” does not necessarily mean “single-function”. The substrate may be chemically simple while the surface carries much of the performance burden.


JULY 2026 • KENNEDY’S CONFECTION • 37


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44