04/14/2023 | Product News

Kuraray showcases bio-circular EVAL™ EVOH as well as global innovation initiative at Interpack

Hattersheim/Frankfurt am Main, April 17, 2023 +++ Kuraray, the global specialty chemicals company headquartered in Japan, will be exhibiting at Interpack (May 4-10, 2023, Düsseldorf, hall 10, D63). The booth will be geared towards two themes: the co-creation of a sustainable future as well as a stronger emphasis on innovation creating true opportunities. Kuraray will be showcasing its bio-circular and recyclable EVOH “EVAL™”, a barrier resin widely used for e.g. food packaging. The Kuraray EVAL Europe N.V. plant enables the market introduction of EVOH from renewable resources – a fact also confirmed by its recent ISCC PLUS certification. Furthermore, to promote innovation globally and across the entire product portfolio, Kuraray has established the "Innovation Networking Center" (INC). The INC has the purpose of fostering networking and exchange – across Kuraray's diverse products and business units as well as improving connectivity with its numerous customers and partners around the world. This department creates added value and innovative solutions for and with Kuraray customers and allows co-creation that provides answers to customers' unmet needs – and to challenges society is facing as a whole.

Gas barrier performance with unique double function

At Kuraray’s booth (Hall 10, D63) visitors will have the opportunity to experience the excellent gas barrier performance of EVAL™. Avoiding oxygen-induced degradation in food, EVAL™ extends the product’s shelf life and quality. At the same time, it blocks contaminants from migrating into the packaging. This unique double function makes EVAL™ the ideal material for film packaging of perishable foodstuffs, as aroma preservation or as an efficient functional barrier for organic solvents or potential contaminants, such as those that might be present in food cartons made of recycled corrugated board or post-consumer recycled plastics. In addition, EVAL™ with metallization protects Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API), offering a barrier against water, light, oxygen, CO₂ and chemicals, which makes the resin also suitable for the packaging of sensitive content such as medicines. For the most sensitive applications, the unique oxygen scavenging EVAL™ EVOH adds extra safety and potentially reduces further oxygen ingress to zero. Kuraray is a global leader in the production and development of EVAL™ EVOH barrier resins and films. Greater sustainability and recyclability are explicit requirements of Kuraray’s customers in the food, cosmetic or health care industry.

Recyclable mono-material solution

EVAL™ EVOH with a thickness of only 1 mm has the same gas barrier as a 10-meter-thick wall of LDPE. With such performance, a very thin layer of EVAL™ EVOH adds a superior barrier to efficient multilayer structures, making it possible for these multilayer structures to provide functional protection using a minimum amount of material. This way, the packaging weighs less and still protects the product and the environment. What is more: due to the minimal amount of EVAL™ needed, packers can use the resin with polyolefins – such as polyethylene – to create a package that will still be considered mono-material and fits well into the recycling stream. Only recently, EVAL™ has received ISCC PLUS certification, proving its bio-circular properties. This makes EVAL™ the natural solution for users e.g. in the food packaging industry, as it allows safe packaging and recyclability at the same time. 

First ISCC PLUS Certification for Bio-Circular EVAL™

International Sustainability & Carbon Certification, ISCC, is a leading global certification system that covers all sustainable raw materials, including agricultural and forestry biomass, biogenic waste, recycled materials, and renewable energy. ISCC PLUS Renewable Resource certification supports the use of bio and circular feedstocks, also accepting the mass balance approach. Its purpose is to document the proportion of bio-based and circular feedstocks in the production process. Kuraray is the first ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH) copolymer producer to receive a corresponding ISCC PLUS certificate for the bio-circular ethylene monomer in its supply chain. The certificate covers, in principle, all EVOH variants that Kuraray produces in Antwerp. 

At the Kuraray booth, Interpack visitors will be able to see packaging examples such as trays for meat, pasta, and cheese, also compliant with RecyClass and Ceflex guidelines.

Innovation Networking Center: innovation through co-creation

Another highlight shown at Kuraray’s booth is the newly established Innovation Networking Center (INC). With INC, Kuraray is opening up new paths to greater innovation and sustainability for its customers – through more intensive exchange and strong networking. The INC is a virtual platform that connects customers with the global network of cross-functional expert teams. It leverages Kuraray’s diverse industry expertise and vast capabilities in research, technology, and chemistry to enable complex problems to be solved in partnership.Under the INC umbrella, Kuraray strengthens its core competencies within six segments (e.g. Paper & Packaging, Automotive, and Agriculture). At Interpack, visitors can discover various applications with high barrier packaging solutions that meet and fulfill current sustainability requirements and regulations. In the P&P industry in particular, consumers have a great influence on brand owners and converters. Kuraray's product portfolio and expertise can be the answer to provide solutions for society's needs. In line with Kuraray’s new slogan “Possible starts here”, the INC creates added value and innovative solutions for and with Kuraray customers through global networking. It also promotes external networking and involves Kuraray's customers and partners. The bundling of all these new perspectives in the INC allows co-creation that provides answers to customers' unmet needs – and to challenges society is facing as a whole. 

About Kuraray

Established in 1991, Kuraray Europe GmbH is based in Hattersheim, near Frankfurt am Main, Germany. In 2021 the company generated annual sales of EUR 1.1 billion. 

It has more than 820 employees in Germany at its sites in Hattersheim, Frankfurt and Troisdorf. Kuraray is a global speciality chemicals company and one of the largest suppliers of industrial polymers and synthetic microfibres for many sectors of industry. Examples are Kuraray Poval™, Mowital®, Trosifol® and Clearfil™. Kuraray Europe also has around 215 employees at six other European sites. They are also working on the development and application of innovative high-performance materials for a wide range of sectors, including the automotive, paper, glass and packaging industries, as well as for architects and dentists. 

Kuraray Europe is a wholly owned subsidiary of the publicly listed Kuraray Co., Ltd., which is based in Tokyo, Japan, and has more than 11,330 employees worldwide and sales of EUR 4.8 billion.

Press contact:

Dr. Bettina Plaumann
Head of KEG Communications & Marketing
Kuraray Europe GmbH
Philipp-Reis-Strasse 4
65795 Hattersheim am Main
Germany
Phone: +49 69 305 85797
Email: Bettina.Plaumann(at)kuraray.com 
Internet: www.kuraray.eu 

Anne Vogel
Communications Manager
Möller Horcher Kommunikation GmbH
Berliner Straße 300b
63065 Offenbach am Main
Germany
+49 69 809096 42 
anne.vogel(at)moeller-horcher.de 
www.moeller-horcher.de 

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EVAL™ EVOH is used to improve product safety, extend product shelf life and process the efficiency of packaging for food such as meat, pasta, or cheese. (Source: Kuraray)