3 Reasons Why Bostik’s Anti-Fog Heat Seal Coatings are the Smart Choice for Clear Packaging

Anti-fog coatings are key to helping converters manufacture clear packaging and address consumer preferences for extended product freshness and increased package visibility. They are able to do this by reducing fog formation in packaging. By altering water droplets formed by condensation into a thin, uniform, transparent film, the coating enables the packaging to be clear and extends food quality.

Therefore, you may want to integrate anti-fog coatings into your processes to achieve clear packaging. However, this process can create complexities and performance issues during and after production.

Fortunately, Bostik’s anti-fog heat seal coatings can make it easy to achieve clear packaging, offering key benefits that address the limitations of other anti-fog products.

Learn how our solutions enable improved production efficiencies, simplified recyclability and increased end-use package performance, making it easy for you to manufacture clear packaging.

Shifting consumer behaviors have led to an increased demand for clear packaging. Studies show that 48% of millennial consumers are opting to shop the perimeter when grocery shopping, as healthy options like fresh produce are located around the store’s edges. In fact, perimeter-of-store product sales saw an increase of .5 billion dollars from 2014 to 2019 alone. This increase in produce sales has pressured converters to manufacture clear packaging quickly, as it offers a safe and efficient way to package this type of food product.

THE LIMITATION

However, achieving clear packaging typically entails added converting complexity. Most solutions currently available on the market require two different products and separate processing methods: one product for proper anti-fog capability and one product for heat seal bonding functionality. Together, the two products are then able to achieve both the clarity of anti-fog coatings and the adhesion of a heat seal component.

This two-pass process can create inefficiencies for converters. Using additional materials causes more time on the production lines, which makes it harder to address high output demands. More materials also increase the likelihood for production issues.

Further, using two materials to achieve the anti-fog and heat seal qualities yields additional SKUs to track. An overabundance of SKUs creates more suppliers, data, people and machines to coordinate and track, which slows overall production time.

Additionally, certain anti-fog products are water-based, which requires additional processing equipment and dry time. As a result, these types of anti-fog products can lead to downtime as you wait for the product to dry. This also can make it harder to meet high output demands.

Another way many anti-fog coatings impact efficiencies is by being susceptible to blocking. This occurs when adjacent layers of the anti-fog coating film stick together, creating damage to the film. Recovering the product after blocking occurs can increase production time or may make the product unusable.

OUR SOLUTION

Bostik’s anti-fog heat seal coatings can address these production inefficiencies and make it easier to achieve clear packaging in the following ways:

• Use fewer materials: Our product combines heat seal and anti-fog capabilities into a two-in-one solution. Using one product to achieve clear packaging will help reduce overall costs, likelihood of production issues and SKU volumes.

• Reduce production time: Using one product instead of two will reduce the amount of processing time needed to achieve clear packaging. Our product is polyester-based, which dries faster than water-based solutions. This will help decrease dry time to meet high output demands.

• Avoid blocking: Our coatings exhibit low blocking. This ensures your product will not be damaged during clear packaging production or cause downtime.

• Increase versatility: Our anti-fog heat seal coatings are designed to work with many types of converting equipment. Therefore, you won’t experience downtime or need new equipment when trying to manufacture clear packaging.

As many consumers make efforts to live more sustainably, recyclable packaging has become increasingly popular. Converters who make their packaging easily recyclable not only appeal to environmentally-savvy consumers, but can also achieve their own sustainability goals. Therefore, recyclability is another aspect converters should consider when manufacturing clear packaging.

THE LIMITATION

Current anti-fog coatings make it hard for converters to address sustainability initiatives with clear packaging production. Many anti-fog options are polyethylene or polypropylene-based solutions. This means they are not compatible with the commonly-used polyester tray stocks, and the package cannot be recycled in a single stream. For example, tray stocks with anti-fog film lids need to be separated from each other before they can be recycled. This is what increases difficulty for consumers and makes it harder for them to recycle the clear packaging.

OUR SOLUTION

Bostik’s anti-fog heat seal coatings can address the issue of recyclability in manufacturing clear packaging:

• Increased package compatibility: Our solutions are polyester-based and are therefore compatible with common tray stocks. This allows the entire package to be recycled in one single stream.

When manufacturing clear packaging, it’s important to design packaging that protects its contents from decay and other disturbances. The product should also be easy for the consumer to open yet durable enough to avoid spills.

THE LIMTATION

Achieving desired performance can be challenging when using certain anti-fog coatings to manufacture clear packaging. This is because many of those coatings are polyethylene or polypropylene-based, which have poor oxygen barriers and increase food decay.

Certain anti-fog coatings also make it challenging to manufacture clear packaging with an ideal balance of seal strength. This also impacts clear packaging performance and makes it difficult to manufacture the ideal package. If the product is hard to open, it will be difficult for consumers to use. If the product is too easy to open, the contents can spill.

OUR SOLUTION

You can overcome these limitations with Bostik’s anti-fog heat seal coatings:

• Improved protection: Our polyester-based solutions offer the following features:
  • Superior oxygen barriers
  • Good chemical resistance
  • Stability over wide temperatures

These features ensure food will stay fresher longer even in the presence of some irritants.

• Ideal peel strength: Our coatings provide a smooth-yet-secure seal. By enabling proper seal integrity, these coatings ensure food security while also maintaining ease of use.

These added benefits make it easy to see why Bostik’s anti-fog heat seal coatings are the smart choice to help you achieve clear packaging. Visit our website to learn more about manufacturing clear packaging, or contact a Bostik representative to request a sample.  

You can also check out this other relevant content:

• Improve Functionality and Speed with Innovative Coatings
• Overcome Packaging Issues for Refrigeratable Foods
• 3 Common Problems With Anti-Fog Coatings You Need to Avoid