FAQ: Understanding the First BPI-Certified, Industrial Compostable Cold Seal

Bostik is the first adhesive supplier to provide the market with a BPI-certified, industrial compostable cold seal for heat-sensitive packaging applications. Use this list of frequently asked questions to gain an understanding of Turbo-Seal® LOOP 1.0.

As a flexible packaging converter, you know there’s interest in creating more sustainable packaging. However, for cold seal applications, there has not been a compostable option. This is because all elements in the packaging must be compostable for it to meet BPI industrial compostable requirements, and no compostable cold seal has existed to date given that compatible raw materials are limited, and testing is time consuming. Therefore, compostable heat sensitive packaging hasn’t been possible.

Until now.

Bostik is the first adhesive supplier to provide the market with a BPI-certified, industrial compostable cold seal for heat-sensitive packaging applications such as confectionary and medical.
Named Turbo-Seal® LOOP 1.0, this innovation allows converters to manufacture 100% compostable packaging so that brand owners can more easily address consumer preferences and reduce environmental impact.

As with anything new, we understand you may have questions before exploring the first industrial compostable cold seal’s capabilities. Use this list of frequently asked questions to learn more about Turbo-Seal® LOOP 1.0’s value and how it supports compostable package manufacturing efforts.

Why hasn’t the market developed a compostable cold seal until now?

As mentioned above, there are challenges across the flexible packaging industry when it comes to manufacturing compostable packaging in general, including for cold seals. These include:

Limited raw materials are allowed in formulating a compostable cold seal; natural rubber latex, for example, is commonly used in cold seal adhesives but is not a compostable raw material.
Testing and certification also can take about a year to thoroughly conduct, and if changes are required to the adhesive formulation or to require new certification, more time will be needed. This creates risk for manufacturers in providing valuable time and resources with the potential of not finding a solution.

Why did Bostik decide to develop a compostable cold seal grade?

As brand owners look to sell their products in more sustainable packaging, they have expressed increased interest in expanding both consumer and industrial composting opportunities. This has created new challenges for converters to find and incorporate compostable materials into their processes while still offering needed performance and processing abilities, since every packaging component must be compostable, including the cold seal. For applications that use cold seals, such as confectionary, no compostable cold seal option existed. Instead, natural rubber latex-based cold seals were commonly used for cold seal packaging, which is a non-compostable raw material. This meant that manufacturing compostable packaging for cold seal applications was not possible.

As a longtime cold seal supplier in the North American market, the Bostik team understood the impact not having a compostable cold seal had on the cold seal packaging market and wanted to address it. Bostik worked along the flexible packaging value chain and patented a new product for industrial compost needs, Turbo-Seal® LOOP 1.0. This product utilizes compostable raw materials while providing similar performance and processing features as a traditional cold seal.

For what cold seal packaging applications can this product be used?

Turbo-Seal® LOOP 1.0 is compatible for heat-sensitive package formats that would typically incorporate traditional cold seal. This includes:

Overwrap:

Individually wrapped candy
Cheese slices
Medical overwrap

Surface Print:

Miniature candy
Frozen single serve
Protective films
Sterilization packaging
Dishwasher tablets
Hotel toiletries

Laminated:

Nutritional
Confectionary
Bakery
Protective films
Mailers
Collecting cards

PRO TIP: It is important to note the market has been shifting away from laminating and moving into surface print to utilize less material. Surface print requires just one film, whereas laminated uses two or more films together. Making this change when feasible can further enhance your sustainability with a compostable cold seal.

I already use a traditional cold seal, which offers recyclability. Why do I need this one?

While our traditional cold seals are approved for How2Recycle® pre-qualification for PE films and can enable Store Drop-off recycling, our industrial compostable cold seal helps you expand into other sustainable packaging opportunities previously not possible for these packaging applications. You can now offer brand owners both recyclable or compostable packaging formats.

How do I know this is a compostable adhesive, and why is a certified compostable adhesive valuable to me?

This product is BPI-certified via ASTM 6400, which validates that the cold seal is compostable. Using a certified compostable cold seal helps you save valuable time and resources while knowing your cold seal is contributing to a 100% compostable package.

How will Bostik’s compostable cold seal improve my production efficiencies?

Turbo-Seal® LOOP 1.0 allows you to utilize a compostable option without making major changes to your production line. By providing similar production efficiencies to our recyclable cold seal, it enables:

Equipment cost savings: You can use the same equipment used for traditional cold seals that offer recyclability, reducing investment costs.
Enhanced processing: As a PFAS-free solution that offers low odor with no foaming, our industrial compostable cold seal offers processing efficiency improvements.
Versatility: Our compostable cold seal is compatible with many compostable films and papers to easily incorporate both options into your production lines without adding SKUs or complexity.

Why is Bostik’s industrial compostable cold seal valuable to me?

Along with our compostable cold seal, you’ll also receive:

Technical support: Our technical support team works directly with customers to test and customize formulations to help ensure they meet your specific bonding needs. We can also help you test our compostable cold seal on various substrates to assess performance.
Investment in sustainable innovations: Turbo-Seal® LOOP 1.0 is just one example of how our Bostik experts formulate adhesive solutions to address specific market needs that had otherwise yet to be addressed. We are continually finding ways to enhance performance, improve production efficiencies and increase overall sustainability.

Ready to expand your packaging capabilities by offering compostable cold seal packaging? Contact a Bostik expert to learn how we can help increase your business opportunities as the first adhesive supplier offering this compostable innovation.

Learn about our other cold seal solutions:

How to Ensure PE Cold Seal Film Does Not Harm Recycling Streams

Understanding Expanded Cold Seal Uses and Processing

Additional Cold Seal Content:

How the Right Cold Seal Adhesive Supplier Gives You a Competitive Advantage

Cold Seal Adhesive Coating Tips for Food and Other Packaging Applications

Turbo-Seal® LOOP 1.0 is a registered trademark of a member of the Arkema Group of Companies.

Patent-pending

All information contained herein is believed to be accurate as of the date of publication, is provided “as-is” and is subject to change without notice. To review our full U.S. Legal Disclaimer, visit: https://bostik.com/us/en_US/privacy-policy/legal-disclaimer