Adhesive specialist VPF unveils chemical-free thermal paper for direct food contact

03 Aug 2022 --- Adhesive specialist VPF is adding chemical-free thermal paper to its product range. The launch comes as customer demand for environmentally sustainable self-adhesive material extends to direct thermal printing. 

The company uses a bluish thermal paper from which the printout is produced via a physical process without a chemical reaction. The new type of paper is chemical-free and suitable as an adhesive material for direct food contact.

Consumers are familiar with bluish thermal paper from retailers, where it has been in use for some time. In supermarkets, for example, the blue eco-receipts are increasingly replacing the previous white receipts.

“This [transition] is not a marketing strategy, but rather an effort to use more environmentally sustainable paper,” says VPF.

Accordingly, the self-adhesive material specialist has also expanded its product range and added the new product 1470579 thermal paper blue clean 70 g/m2 to its portfolio.

Heat-obtained print image
The new material can be used on common direct thermal printers and, unlike typical thermal papers, is free of chemical developers.

It has a four-layer structure and consists of plain paper, a black pigment layer, an opaque functional layer that creates the paper’s blue coloring, and a protective layer against mechanical damage.

The printed image is created physically while the opaque layer becomes transparent when exposed to heat, making the underlying black layer visible.Fruit & veg producers are increasingly targeting plastic-free solutions amid new regulatory and consumer pressures.

Long-lasting impact
The thermal paper blue clean is approved for direct food contact and is renowned for its “excellent” printability, resistance, legibility and durability. The print image is long-lasting for at least 35 years without fading, the producer says.

The product is available from VPF with various permanent and removable adhesives. The minimum quantity is 1.000 mÇ (dispersion acrylic adhesives) or 2.500 mÇ (hot melts and UV acrylics).

Trends in fresh produce
The fruit and vegetable sector is increasingly transitioning to plastic- or packaging-free options as consumer and legislative demand for more environmentally sustainable solutions intensifies. Earlier this year, France banned plastic packaging on some fruit and vegetables, prompting fresh food waste concerns and paving the way for alternative solutions like laser printing.

Meanwhile, a WRAP report suggested that plastic packaging doesn’t necessarily prolong the life of uncut fresh produce and can actually increase food waste.

In response, the British Plastics Federation reaffirmed the valuable role of plastic in reducing food spoilage and associated carbon emissions, saying the report lacked scope.

According to Innova Market Insights, 30% of global consumers say they would accept decreased product shelf life to reduce the use of plastic packaging.

By Joshua Poole