The layers most shoppers never notice decide whether a pouch survives retort, a label stays put in the chiller, and a bottle becomes a bottle again.
Ink, adhesive and additive chemistry governs print quality, migration risk, bond strength, barrier, odour and recyclability.
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Treat these chemistries as strategic levers—specified early, tested properly, and managed with change control—and packs run cleaner on press, perform reliably in use, and keep material value at end of life.
Getting print right: cure, migration and de-inking
Inks do more than deliver colour. Their binders, solvents or monomers, photoinitiators and pigments must anchor to board, film or foil, cure fast, resist scuff and oils, and stay where they belong—on the outside of the pack.
Choose the right platform for the job
- Water-based inks suit paper and board and, with the right surface treatment and drying, many film applications for snacks and secondary packs. They offer low odour and simpler emissions control.
- Solvent-based inks are the workhorses for fast flexible-film lines and deep colour, particularly for food where heat and fat resistance are needed. Control of residual solvent is essential to avoid off-odour and taint.
- UV/EB and LED-UV inks bring instant cure and crisp detail for labels, shrink sleeves and some flexibles. Success depends on verified dose, oxygen control, and photoinitiator packages designed to minimise migration.
Control migration by design and process
Low-migration ink sets and functional barriers help, but process discipline often makes the difference.
Drying energy, web temperature, ink laydown and reel ageing drive residuals. For UV systems, log dose with on-press radiometry; under-cured inks are a common root cause of odour.
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By GlobalDataBuild NIAS (non-intentionally added substances) thinking into development—screen for likely by-products and test worst-case migration with realistic food simulants.
Print for recycling, not just shelf impact
On fibre, de-inking improves pulp brightness; on plastics, clean ink removal limits specking.
Helpful moves: wash-off inks and adhesives on PET, restrained ink coverage on clear bottles to aid NIR sorting, and detectable black pigments instead of carbon black.
For sleeves, design in floatability, perforations and reverse-print zones so labels release in standard hot-wash conditions.
Bonding for performance and end-of-life
Adhesives hold laminates together, labels on bottles and cases on pallets. Their chemistry sets clarity, heat resistance and chemical durability—and can decide whether a pack is recyclable.
Pick laminating systems for the environment the pack sees
- Solventless polyurethane (PU) delivers high line speeds and strong bonds for snacks and dry goods, with low emissions. Manage post-cure and monomer content to keep migration in check.
- Solvent-based PU brings top-tier heat and chemical resistance for retort pouches, aggressive fills and foils. Expect longer cure times and tighter residual-solvent control.
- Water-based acrylics and PU dispersions work for film/board and some foil jobs where low odour is key; they need tuned dryers and adequate surface energy.
- Reactive hot-melts (e.g., PUR) offer instant handling strength and robust final performance on cartons and certain flexibles, with moisture-cure chemistry continuing after application.
Label and closure adhesives that help recycling
On PET bottles, alkali wash-off pressure-sensitives and casein-free wet glues release labels cleanly, boosting bottle-to-bottle yield. On HDPE, tailored hot-melts with the right tack curve prevent flagging in chilled chains.
For closures and liners, adhesive choice links to torque, slip, oxygen ingress and potential scalping—critical in beverages and personal care.
Validate for tough conditions
Retort, hot-fill and fatty foods stress both bonds and inks.
Balance isocyanate/polyol ratios, confirm tie-layer compatibility, and verify with retort simulation, peel and burst tests under realistic humidity and stacking.
Keep a watch for blocked reels and ink transfer in high-temperature storage; both point to curing or adhesive selection issues.
Design adhesives for release when it matters
Delaminating systems for fibre-based laminates that let go in the pulper preserve fibre length and brightness.
‘Switchable’ label adhesives that release in hot caustic improve PET washing. Low-ash, non-halogenated options reduce contaminants in plastics reprocessing and energy recovery.
Reference recognised design-for-recycling protocols at brief stage to align suppliers and test labs.
Additives that tune performance—without undermining circularity
Additives govern slip, clarity, barrier, stability and odour. They also influence printability, lamination and what happens in the recycler’s wash tank.
Slip and anti-block without surprise bloom
Fatty-amide slips (erucamide, oleamide) migrate to the surface of polyolefins to lower friction; silica or talc provides anti-block.
Bloom rate, film gauge and storage conditions affect ink wetting and lamination; over-bloom leads to poor print adhesion and delam risk.
Where consistency matters, permanent silicone-based slips or surface-modified fillers stabilise friction with less migration.
Stabilisers that survive multiple lives
Antioxidants, UV absorbers and HALS protect substrates during extrusion and use. In food contact, pick additives with solid migration dossiers.
Dose carefully to avoid yellowing in PET and PP while maintaining mechanical properties through recycling loops.
Impact modifiers and plasticisers with compliance headroom
In PVC and some biopolymers, plasticisers deliver flexibility; in rigid packaging, impact modifiers guard against drop damage.
Choose options with strong toxicology support and low migration potential—especially for fatty or alcoholic foods where extraction risk rises.
Barrier, odour and active features
Oxygen and aldehyde scavengers protect taste; EVOH, PVOH and nanoclay masterbatches raise barrier when mono-material designs are pursued.
Balance barrier with recyclability: thin functional layers and compatibilisers often meet performance targets while preserving sortability and reprocessable melt flows.
Watch-outs for claims and audits
- NIAS: Thermal history and UV exposure can generate NIAS from additives, inks and adhesives; plan targeted analytics where risk is higher.
- MOSH/MOAH: Prefer low-aromatic grades in board and inks; specify barriers when recycled fibre contacts dry foods.
- PFAS and halogenated species: Where grease or water barrier is needed, test fluorine-free chemistries, starch or acrylic dispersions, and mechanical design features before resorting to persistent substances.
- Allergens and sensitisers: Confirm market restrictions for photoinitiators and additives; run tight change control to keep compliance files current.
Make testing and change control boringly good
A practical regime beats a thick binder. On-press, track solvent balance, pH and viscosity for water-based systems; dose and intensity for UV; web temperatures and exhaust rates for all lines.
In QA, run tape adhesion, rub/scuff, seal strength, peel, retort simulation and migration modelling—then escalate to targeted lab testing when the risk profile demands it.
Version-control recipes and supplier declarations; treat any switch in pigment, photoinitiator, adhesive hardener or additive as a formal change with odour and migration checks.
The takeaway for operators
Ink, adhesive and additive chemistry is where print quality, safety, line efficiency and recyclability meet.
Specify ink platforms for both cure and de-inking, choose adhesives for the environment the pack will see and the way it will be recycled, and select additives that deliver slip, stability and barrier without compromising the next life.
Test on real substrates at real speeds, log what you do, and keep change control tight.
The reward is packaging that looks sharp, runs reliably and returns to the loop with fewer compromises—protecting brands, consumers and material value.
