ACTEGA, SCC Collaborate on Eco-Friendly Single-Use Food Packaging

In every industry, companies feel the crescendo of a call to action — sustainability. The packaging value chain, known for its direct impact on our environment, stands at the forefront of this transformation. According to a recent survey data by McKinsey, 75% of organizations have made explicit commitments to sustainable packaging in recent years, which shows a growing recognition and prioritization of environmentally friendly practices in the business landscape. In a world where every sip of coffee and every bite of a take-out meal comes with an environmental footprint, sustainability in paper board single-use food packaging is no longer a fringe conversation—it's at the forefront of consumer consciousness. Brand owners aren't just taking note; they're setting ambitious sustainability targets and are expecting action from their upstream suppliers.

Have you ever pondered the fate of your single-use paper cup after you drink that last drop of coffee? For Standridge Color Corporation (SCC), this wasn't just a passing thought. With an established presence in an industry under pressure to evolve, SCC recognized the pressing need to meet brand owners' demand for sustainable single-use packages with effective water-based barriers for the food packaging market.

An Entrepreneurial Spirit Meeting Ever-Evolving Market Demands

SCC’s journey began in 1973, rooted in a small, community-focused machine shop to provide affordable and customized solutions to its customers. SCC specializes in coated paper products, catering to the packaging and food service markets with both aqueous and extruded coating of paper products. SCC's unique approach includes the design and in-house production of their key coating equipment. This allows for tailored solutions that cater to meet the specific demands of the application regarding coating selection and coat weight. SCC is also one of the leading suppliers in the thermoplastics processing industry, offering top-quality additives, concentrates, and speciality dispersions. Creating value and preserving the environment has always been paramount for SCC. SCC currently operate 8 plants, strategically located based on proximity to its customer base, reducing transportation distance, emissions, and costs. The company’s extensive network of operations spans across the globe, including Georgia, the Czech Republic, and multiple locations in the USA.

William Lumpkin, Paper Coating Division Manager Standridge Color Corporation, comments: “At SCC, we're dedicated to delivering top-notch products driven by cutting-edge technologies and rigorous quality assurance. Our commitment to excellence and global operations has made Standridge a symbol of entrepreneurial spirit and unwavering dedication. With our forward-thinking approach, we consistently paved the way for new product development while keeping an ever-attentive ear to the ground — listening to our customers. But what does it mean to be proactive in an industry where sustainability is no longer a preference but a demand? How do we reconcile the growing need for environmentally friendly packaging with the technical necessities of today's market? We ask ourselves those questions regularly and aim to always find the answers. This is where our collaboration with ACTEGA began, and together, we found a way to bring Aqueous Coatings to our offering.”

Breaking Down Barriers to Sustainable Packaging Production

Polyethene extrusions allow paperboard used in food packaging to securely contain a variety of products that require barrier properties without any leakage. However, these plastic extruded substrates pose a challenge for recycling. They create a “not-so-fantastic” alternative due to the sustainability challenge – raising concerns about its lifecycle. As a result, there has been a growing demand for a more sustainable solution, as brand owners have long been seeking alternatives to drive increased fiber recovery of this type of packaging.

To address this demand, there is a need to overcome two primary challenges. Number 1, the formulation of sustainable, water-based coatings to create the barrier required and Number 2, applying this coating in the appropriate coat weight successfully to the paperboard. Experts in application of barriers to paperboard, SCC, sought to join forces with a market leader when it comes to coatings chemistry, and the clear choice was ACTEGA. ACTEGA developed the water-based technology while SCC built a world class coater to apply these coatings. Together, they have built a seamless supply chain to supply water-based barrier coated paper to the marketplace. This team-based approach gives the market the opportunity to source water-based barrier coated paperboard with a single phone call.

The sustainability advantages of water-based coated paper for barrier packaging applications are far-ranging. Unlike poly-coated boards, water-based barrier-coated boards are re-pulpable and recyclable. Additionally, the use of water-based coatings allows for a reduction in coat weight thereby reducing the materials used thus making the board lighter to transport.

While each application is unique and different, ACTEGA’s water-based coatings do meet necessary migration standards and comply with FDA requirements. And this is just the start. While ACTEGA has been marketing water-based coatings for close to a decade, these products are still early in their life cycle and step change performance in barrier, cost and sustainability are still to come.

The work behind the solution

With the desire to provide this sought after solution to the packaging market, ACTEGA and SCC challenges themselves to develop to a more sustainable product that didn’t compromise performance. ACTEGA’s line of ACTGreen Barrier Coatings offered the foundation in this endeavor. ACTGreen Barrier Coatings have been in the market for approximately a decade and represent one of ACTEGA’s fastest growing product lines. They are designed to create functional barriers and are compliant with FDA direct food contact regulations (21CFR 175.300. 176.170, 176.180)

SCC developed a specialized rod-coater machine, with two-stage coating and drying, for the application of water-based barrier coatings onto paper and board. | Credit: ACTEGA

The next challenge was how to apply this innovative chemistry seamlessly onto paper and board. With its remarkable ability to build custom production equipment, SCC developed an ingenious specialized rod-coater machine for the application of water-based barrier coatings onto paper and board. SCC’s rod coater boasts a two-stage coating and drying capability. Its unique dual coating stations allow for the application of both a primer base and a top-coat in a single pass. The machine is equipped with IR ovens and air flotation dryers for efficient moisture removal and drying at high speeds thus enabling faster coater speed even for heavier coat-weight applications. These unique features contribute to lower manufacturing costs, ensuring optimal efficiency for the operations.

William Lumpkin continued, “This collaboration with ACTEGA perfectly reflects our company ethos: to listen actively to our customers’ needs and develop solutions that rise to new challenges and anticipate the future. Our skills in engineering custom equipment and ACTEGA’s proficiency in formulating chemical solutions to customer’s most challenging problems fostered a collaboration built on shared expertise. We have been absolutely delighted by ACTEGA's wealth of experience and knowledge. Their unwavering support has been instrumental in developing and finalizing a solution for applying water-based barrier coatings to paper and board, and we are thrilled to bring this new opportunity to market today. We firmly believe that utilizing water-based barrier coatings will provide a viable solution for companies seeking alternatives to poly-coated food packaging and, ultimately, contribute to a more sustainable future for the industry.”

Looking Toward a Greener Future

SCC has already received outstanding customer feedback in response to the new water-based coated paper and board.

William Lumpkin concludes, "We foresee that the demand for cost-effective and sustainable food packaging will continue to rise over time. Government regulations will play a crucial role in driving this movement. Already, brand owners are setting goals to create packaging solutions that are more environmentally friendly. However, the options are limited when it comes to meeting these goals using poly-coated board. This is what makes our water-based coated board even more desirable. With this technology, we solidify our reputation as forward-thinkers in the realm of sustainable packaging. Our promise to you is unequivocal: Standridge will continue to invest in developing solutions that meet the demand for eco-conscious products and pave the way for a brighter, greener future.”

Markus Locher, ACTEGA’s Global Manager of Barrier and Sustainable Packaging Solutions said, “Sustainability is part of ACTEGA’s DNA; it is woven into every aspect of our operations, from the development of our products to the way we conduct our work. We forged a strong synergy with the SCC team and were captivated by their entrepreneurial approach, harnessing our strengths to tackle one of the most pressing sustainability challenges without compromising on quality or functionality. This collaboration has resulted in the creation of coated water-based paperboard applications that packaging companies all over the US can benefit from using immediately.”

The companies are already looking forward to their next collaboration — jointly presenting on barrier solutions and application capabilities at the PPC’s 2025 Fall Meeting & Leadership Conference in Vancouver, Nov. 5-7.