Key facts:
- Thermoplastic polymers are the largest group of sustainable polymers with consumption forecast at 3.07 million tonnes to 2030.
- The global sustainable barriers market has a CAGR of 4.8% for the years 2025-2030
Sustainable barrier coatings for packaging are as materials that provide effective barrier properties while minimizing environmental impact through recyclability, biodegradability and the use of biobased materials. This report highlights the importance of recyclability, dissecting the market by key drivers, process, end use, coating type and region.
The market remains dominated by traditional materials such as thermoplastic polymers although alternative materials, including biobased and natural polymer coatings are starting to take hold as brand-owners and packaging manufacturers' develop sustainability strategies.
Growth for sustainable barrier coatings in packaging is expected to be steady overall, with a strong link to forecast GDP growth, in particular for biobased polymers.
This report is essential to:
- Packaging raw material suppliers
- Packaging converters and manufacturers
- Retailers and brand owners
Key Questions:
- Where is the focus of sustainability efforts across global coatings markets?
- How to paper substrates compare to plastic substrates in coating sustainability?
- How have sustainability regulations impacted the use of coatings?
- Does the market favour recyclability over biodegradability ?
Table of Contents
Contents
Executive summary
1. Introduction and methodology
- Introduction
- Objectives
- Methodology
- Definitions
- Abbreviations
2. Key drivers and trends in sustainable barrier coatings
- End of life: recycling vs biodegradability
- Substrates, paper and plastic
- The importance of process
- Extrusion barrier coatings
- Wet-barrier coatings
- Wax coating
- Barrier metallisation
- The path to sustainability
- Thermoplastic polymers
- High barrier polymersh
- Aluminium
- Waxes
- Silicone and other natural materials
- Biobased polymers
3. Legislation and industry response
- The regulatory environment
- Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and packaging coatings
- The path to PPWR
- Key articles identified by EUROPEN
- Single Use Plastics Directive (SUPD)
- Bans on PFAS
- Extended producer responsibility (EPR)
- Industry and agency cooperation
- EUROPEN
- CAA and PSI
- The US Plastics Pact
- Global trends in sustainable packaging
- Case study: steel food can
- Recyclers' feedback
- Challenges at material recovery facilities (MRFs)
- AI and optics
- Recovery logistics
- Recycling by design
- AI boosts recycling goals
- Solutions in Asia
- Brand owner involvement
- Collaborations to eliminate plastic waste
- Canopy and industry alliances
- Alliances in Europe and the US
- 4evergreen
- Poly Coated Paper Alliance (PCPA)
4. Technological and commercial developments
- Elimination of PFAS progresses
- Micro Powders, Inc phasing out PFAS
- Biodegradable, biobased and recyclable coatings
- UPM and Eastman collaborate on biobased, biodegradable and recyclable material
- Recyclable coated paper
- Orkla Suomi and UPM develop recyclable chocolate wrapper
- ProAmpac and Marks and Spencer's recyclable paper-coated potato package
- Mondi launches barrier-coated paper construction bag
- Greif announces recycled and recyclable/pulpable paperboard
- Ahlstrom launches new paper for flexible packaging
- Monolayer coatings for better recyclability
- Siegwerk's recyclable mono-PE bag with advanced barrier coatings
- Constantia's mono-PE pouch facilitates recycling
- Mondi's new extrusion line in the Czech Republic
- Natural polymers
- Walki and Lactips create biodedgradable, natural polymer materials
- Kelpi diversifies seaweed packaging
- Sea6Energy producing seaweed-based coatings for fibre packaging
- Other sustainable initiatives
- Shangdong LXBIO CO2-based plastic PPC-P to market
- GRECO to study biobased, biodegradable and recyclable PLA
- AI and improved recyclability
5. Coating and substrate materials
- Coating materials
- Overview
- Sustainable barrier coating markets by process
- Sustainable barrier coating markets by type
- High barrier coatings
- Green PVOH/EVOH
- Aluminium
- Waxes
- Silicone and other natural materials
- Biobased polymers
- Bio-based PE
- Bio-PE South America
- Bio-PE Asia
- Bio-PE Europe
- Bio-PE North America
- PHA
- Substrate materials
6. Sustainable barrier coating markets by end-use sector
- Overview
- Food
- Significance of sustainable coatings for food applications
- Beverages
- Foodservice
- Non-food
7. Sustainable barrier coating markets by region
- Europe
- North America
- South & Central America
- Asia Pacific
- Middle East & Africa