Cascades, Sonoco form joint venture

Following three years of research and numerous field tests, Sonoco Products,  Hartsville, South Carolina, and Cascades,  Kingsey Falls, Quebec, have formed a joint venture called Cascades Sonoco that will market a water-based barrier coating to replace polyethylene coating used on folding carton grades for traditional food take-out containers.

The new product, called the FlexShield Barrier Coating, has been designed to make take out boxes compostable when applied to recycled paperboard without compromising critical barrier performance.

“Given the increasing demand for paper-based take-out containers, and in light of many cities banning expanded polystyrene containers, FlexShield offers a unique, functional and viable option for making paperboard take-out containers much more environmentally attractive given their compostability,” says Sandy McArthur, director of sales and marketing for Cascades Sonoco.

Sonoco Cascades says that the new product already has been adopted by a number of natural and organic food supermarket chains in North America.

The company says that FlexShield is the first water-based coating designed to be flexible and resist cracking when the folding boxboard is cut, scored, bent and folded, all without losing its barrier properties. FlexShield’s design functions like polyethylene, but is compostable in industrial composting facilities.

“During the development of this product, we had numerous companies tell us if we could solve the cracking issues with a water-based solution we would really be on to something the market has been asking about for a very long time. Many companies have been attempting to solve this complex technical challenge for years, and we are extremely gratified to have reached this milestone. We are excited to make FlexShield Barrier Coating available to the entire market beginning in July,” McArthur adds.

FlexShield protects containers against water, oil grease, sauces, toppings and other liquid or viscous substances. Folded containers made from paperboard with FlexShield are ideal for a wide range of applications, including food service trays and takeout, bakery products or any non-food product where leakage of the contents could stain, damage, taint or otherwise affect goods stored in proximity to the container.