Barrier food packaging is essential for many applications. Depending on your product, you may need a certain level of barrier protection to keep the food shelf-stable (and out of the trash) longer. But did you know that many manufacturers are over-engineering barrier films for food packaging?
In our latest podcast episode, the C.A.P. Pack introduces ICPG’s latest material solution: our Resource Efficient Barrier Alternative, or RE-BA.
Sneak Peek for Episode #8
Check out the latest podcast to hear us discuss our RE-BA technology and what it can do for manufacturers. You can watch or listen on our website or subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or Google. Want a sneak peek? Read on to see a little bit of what we cover.
What is XPP?
We’ve talked about XPP a few times on the podcast in the past (check out episode 4 to hear all about its creation!), but want to give listeners a quick refresher, just in case you’re not familiar with the material.
XPP is a polypropylene solution that was developed by the ICPG team as a replacement for polystyrene (PS) in form-fill-seal applications. The material is sustainable, food-safe, and replicates many crucial properties of polystyrene, making it an ideal drop-in replacement for the material.
XPP and Barrier Food Packaging
As we developed XPP, we found that some properties — including barrier — showed improvements over PS. However, this was not initially the intention of developing the material. XPP was always intended to be a foundational material replacement for PS that could be customized to meet individual needs.
From there, two initial variations emerged:
- Our baseline XPP — which had some increased barrier properties over PS, but still didn’t match the performance of other solutions.
- XPP high barrier, a version of XPP that is co-extruded with EVOH for enhanced barrier.
These two XPP solutions each had their own uses. However, as Natalie puts it, “We found ourselves in a Goldilocks situation. For some applications, XPP enhanced barrier was too little and XPP high barrier was too much. We needed to find something that was just right.”
That’s where RE-BA comes in.
What is RE-BA?
RE-BA is ICPG’s reimagined barrier food packaging solution. RE-BA stands for “Resource-Efficient Barrier Alternative.” So what does that mean?
As Jonathan puts it, “RE-BA is a component of our XPP structure. What it actually does is enable us to provide or create a barrier through a tortured path. If you just look at it by itself, it doesn’t have those inherent characteristics. But we’ve found that when we combine that with our XPP, that we were able to create a tortured path that would provide that barrier. So we developed it to really focus on oxygen transmission barrier and then utilizing the polypropylene as an effective moisture barrier. So you then combine those two, and that's where you get RE-BA.”
The result is a material that comes with all of the benefits of XPP — sustainability, enhanced rigidity, recyclability, and more — and can also be used in barrier food packaging applications.
What sets RE-BA Apart from Other Solutions?
Many barrier films for food packaging that are on the market today are actually over-engineered for their purpose. Why? Food processors have historically had little choice in the materials they use — using a monomaterial such as PS or PP does not provide barrier protection. However, while using a material such as EVOH does provide barrier, it is often much more protective than an application really needs, which leads to wasted material.
RE-BA is a monopolymer barrier solution, combining the best of both worlds. It provides high-quality barrier protection without the high cost and waste associated with EVOH. It’s even recyclable!
Keep Up with the C.A.P. Pack
RE-BA is the latest in ICPG’s barrier food packaging innovations. Want to keep up with our team and stay informed about the future of RE-BA and our other materials? We’d love to hear from you! Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram and to join the conversation! And be sure to listen and subscribe on Spotify, Apple, Google, or our website.
We’re also excited to announce the C.A.P. Pack will be attending two industry events in September:
- The Pack Expo in Las Vegas, September 11-13
- SPC Advance in Boston, September 25-27
We’re excited to attend these events, chat with industry professionals, and to stay up-to-date in the ever-evolving industry. Will you be at either of these events? Reach out to us — we’d love to say hi!
