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EC Podcast: Functional and PFAS-free food packaging coatings
How can the coatings industry deliver high-performance barrier properties on paper packaging while eliminating PFAS and ensuring recyclability? In the latest episode of the European Coatings Podcast, host Yeray Arauco discusses the technological shift in food contact coatings with two leading experts: Jesús Palenzuela, packaging specialist at the Spanish technology center ITENE, and Mireille Poelman, coordinator of the EU-funded Horizon Europe project Bio-SUSHY.
With the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) setting stricter limits on PFAS and promoting circular packaging, functional coatings are becoming a critical enabler for replacing plastic laminates with fiber-based substrates. Palenzuela explains that functional coatings must provide water, grease, and gas barriers while preserving the recyclability of porous cellulosic materials. He emphasizes that sustainability must be assessed across the entire packaging system rather than the coating alone, using standardized recyclability testing frameworks such as CEPI and Aticelca to verify repulpability and fiber recovery. Furthermore, he highlights plasma deposition as an emerging technology to apply ultra-thin, solvent-free coatings with minimal material usage.
In the second part of the episode, Poelman provides insights into the Bio-SUSHY project, which focuses on developing bio-based and hybrid coating alternatives to PFAS for food trays and textiles. The project strictly applies the European Commission’s Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework, screening raw materials and impurities from extraction to end-of-life. Poelman details how physical computational modeling conducted with CNR Bologna enables formulators to predict barrier performance on rough fiber surfaces. She also discusses electrostatic dry powder coating as a zero-solvent application route that cures during the thermoforming process of takeaway food containers.
To hear the full discussion on circular packaging formulation, plasma technology, and PFAS replacement strategies, listen to the latest episode of the European Coatings Podcast:
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