EcoShield® Recyclable Paper and Linerboard is available from Cortec’s European subsidiary, EcoCortec® plant. A recyclable, repulpable, USDA Certified Biobased Product, EcoShield® Barrier Paper is the latest environmentally safe alternative to polyethylene and wax papers with comparable water vapor barrier properties. Of special note for Europe is that it has recently passed recyclability testing per EU Standards (UNI 11743:2019 and the System of Evaluation Aticelca 501:2019). EcoShield® Barrier Paper and Linerboard can be used in a variety of applications, such as packaging oily and greasy parts or protecting other moisture sensitive components.
Important link in the circular economy
EcoCortec® offers an important link in the circular economy with EcoShield® Barrier Paper. EcoShield® Barrier Paper is the latest addition to Cortec’s portfolio of USDA Certified Biobased Products. It contains 65% USDA certified biobased content and recently received the USDA Certified Biobased Product label. EcoShield® is coated with a water-based barrier coating that resists moisture, grease, and oil. Polyethylene and wax coatings have been used for years to seal porous paper to provide a moisture/vapor barrier. When coated this way, the resulting paper product is an environmental problem and cannot be recycled through normal channels.
"We applaud Cortec Corporation for earning the USDA Certified Biobased Product label,” said Kate Lewis, BioPreferred® Program*. "Products from Cortec Corporation are contributing to an ever-expanding marketplace that adds value to renewable agriculture commodities, creates jobs in rural communities, and decreases our reliance on petroleum."
Ming Shen, Ph.D., Director of New Technologies and Innovations at Cortec® Laboratories, commented that the new label “assures a consumer that the product contains a USDA-verified amount of renewable biological ingredients. It offers our customers a solution to their particular technical problems while enabling them to practice environment stewardship.” She also noted that EcoShield® Barrier Paper is made from paper which contains recycled fibers and carries FSC®, PEFC™, and SFI® certificates for sustainable forestry management. In addition to its sustainable sourcing, EcoShield® Barrier Paper comes full circle to offer greater sustainability at the end of its product life cycle. Unlike other moisture barrier papers historically coated with polyethylene and wax coatings that cannot be recycled through normal channels, EcoShield® Barrier Paper is fully repulpable into other types of paper products such as boxes, cardboard, and other corrugated materials. It displays a Water Vapor Transmission Rate (WVTR) comparable to polycoated paper and much superior to waxed paper. It also resists oil and grease and is available as a linerboard**.
TAPPI T 240 om-12 Repulpability Testing
EcoShield® Barrier Paper passes TAPPI T 240 om-12 Repulpability Testing. It is made from components formulated in compliance with FDA Code of Federal Regulations Title 21:
- §176.170-Components of paper and paperboard in contact with aqueous and fatty foods
- §176.180-Components of paper and paperboard in contact with dry food.
Today there is widespread need for repulpable moisture barrier paper to replace PE-coated or waxed papers in moisture sensitive packaging applications. EcoShield® Barrier Paper is here to serve as a repulpable alternative that also helps companies, agencies and various organizations meet minimum biobased content requirements.
Paper is available in a wide variety of custom roll and sheet sizes. Different weights and paper types available on request.
*For more information about the BioPreferred® Program, please visit: https://www.biopreferred.gov.
**USDA Certified Biobased Product label only applies to EcoShield® Barrier Paper.
