Arjowiggins answers demand for sustainable packaging with new translucent barrier paper
As part of its mission to help create a circular economy society, paper manufacturer Arjowiggins has launched Sylvicta – a new sustainable alternative to plastics in packaging.
Sylvicta is a translucent, functional barrier paper that has been designed to preserve the quality of food and cosmetics just as well as conventional plastics – all the while ensuring limited impact on the environment. The paper is fully recyclable, compostable, marine degradable and made from renewable raw materials.
Sylvicta’s distinct advantage is its very high barrier to oxygen – the leading cause of food spoilage – which means it can reduce food waste by prolonging shelf life during the transportation, retail and consumer phases of the value chain.
Through precision fibre refining, Arjowiggins’ experienced R&D teams have developed this unique translucent paper with a natural bonding, without the need of any harmful chemicals. The result is a paper with a barrier to oxygen, aroma, mineral oils and fatty foodstuffs.
When running through conventional converting lines, Sylvicta offers limitless creative possibilities: it can be foil-stamped, glued, embossed, printed in offset, gravure, and flexography, metallised, or coated with heat or cold-sealable materials. 
Additionally, Arjowiggins is working continuously with packaging converters to open up an endless array of applications — from pouches for dry fruits, bags for salads, sachets for solid soap, sacks for pet food and flow-packs for chocolate bars, all the way through to metallised versions of Sylvicta for butter or margarine packaging.
Answering the market’s need for sustainable alternatives to single-use packaging and flexible laminates, Sylvicta offers brands a high-quality barrier packaging solution that enables them to reduce or even eradicate the use of plastics in their packaging. As such, it’s the ideal solution for creating a globally sustainable, circular economy – especially as it can integrate into existing recycling schemes.
Arjowiggins managing director of the translucent papers division, Christophe Jordan explained: “Despite the ongoing movement towards more sustainable packaging solutions, plastics still remain a popular choice, largely for practical reasons. Until now, most of the existing offer, mainly in single-use packaging, use unrecyclable, multi-layered laminates incorporating plastics or aluminium foil.”
“With Sylvicta, such solutions can be turned into fully-recyclable, compostable and biodegradable paper packaging. The product is simply revolutionary – it can help to create the circular economy society we all desire.”
Like all of Arjowiggins’ products, Sylvicta is FSC and PEFC-certified, produced on a site that’s ISO 14001-compliant, and is carbon-offset through the World Land Trust’s Carbon Balanced programme.