Starting with the problem of marine pollution caused by waste plastic, the way in which we use plastics is beginning to be questioned anew as we work towards building a sustainable society in light of a growing awareness of the need to achieve the SDGs and of environmental issues.
On the other hand, plastic has a range of characteristics and is a superb material in terms of convenience, safety, and other aspects, and finding an alternative is very challenging as things stand. As such, paper packaging is starting to be reexamined against a backdrop of increasingly active development of biomass film and other materials as environmentally-friendly products. We believe that choosing paper as a packaging material will become a major trend going forward, and so the SAKATA INX Group is working on how to respond to the switching of packaging to paper.
While paper packaging has been used in a range of situations for a long time, it is currently very difficult to get paper to function as an alternative to film given the latter’s superior durability and preservation capabilities. In order to make up for these functions, we are working to replace film packaging by applying a coating agent that gives paper special functions and added value.
For example, these functions include durability against water and oil, oxygen and water vapor barrier properties to prevent food deterioration and to extend shelf life, and suitability for heat sealing. And for when hygiene is important, we also offer a lineup of antibacterial and antiviral products that inhibit the growth of bacteria and viruses.
Going forward, we hope that the broad use of these functional coating materials will allow us to contribute significantly to switching packaging to paper.
In addition to proactively using plant-derived materials as raw materials for our products in order to advance decarbonization, the SAKATA INX Group will contribute to the improvement of the global environment and the achievement of a sustainable society by shifting to mono-material solutions for easier recycling of packaging and by developing products that replace film packaging with paper packaging.