Siegwerk to distribute antimicrobial coating technology in EMEA

24 Jun 2020 --- Printing ink supplier Siegwerk has joined forces with overprint varnish specialist Varcotec to market the latter’s products created using Lock 3 antimicrobial coating technology in the EMEA region. The first pilot applications on plastic films using Lock 3 are already underway, while an expansion of the application range is still under development. Siegwerk affirms that this varnish is currently the “only fully effective antimicrobial technology on the market” that functions independent of moisture and temperature conditions and remains effective on dry surfaces.

“With Lock 3, we have succeeded in developing a varnish system which can demonstrably reduce the germ load on a wide range of printed products, already at ambient lighting conditions,” explains Joachim Frings, from Sales and Development at Varcotec. Starting this month, these products will initially be available in Germany, then gradually launched in Central Europe with all countries in EMEA serviced by Q4 2020.

Siegwerk further maintains that research has demonstrated that Lock 3 varnishes can kill both bacteria (according to ISO 22196 (mod.) for paper and cardboard) and infectious viral particles (based on ISO 21702 (mod.)) by more than 99 percent.

The water-based overprint varnish Lock 3 allows for permanent, independent disinfection of the printed surfaces under ambient room lighting or in open daylight. Lock 3 takes advantage of the principle of photodynamics: the photocatalyst is activated by visible light and transfers the energy thus absorbing the surrounding oxygen. This process creates so-called singlet oxygen, efficiently killing germs by oxidizing their shells.

Even if printed surfaces on packaging do not generally constitute a hazard, consumers continue to be exposed to potentially contaminated surfaces.Initially, the product portfolio will only consist of water-based solutions. However, the partners remain open to the advancement of joint development activities in other areas of application, coating technologies and market regions.

Heightened food safety concerns
Even if printed surfaces on packaging do not generally constitute a hazard, consumers continue to be exposed to potentially contaminated surfaces. Different viruses, bacteria and fungi exhibit varying survival times. Therefore, the Lock 3 technology aims to avoid risks of transmitting bacterial and viral infections when products’ printed surfaces, including exterior packaging, partitions and exercise books, are handled by multiple people in short amounts of time.

“With the integration of Varcotec’s innovative product technology, we are adding a unique solution for various applications and packaging industries to our portfolio, thereby once again reinforcing the holistic nature of our offers for the packaging market,” says Hanns Martin Kaiser, Vice President Paper & Board EMEA and Liquid Food Packaging at Siegwerk.

Concerns about food safety via packaging have spurred an assortment of innovation in the past few months. An EU-funded research project found that integrating zinc oxide and oregano essential oil helps the bio-papers protect against bacterial contamination in food packaging. In March, Aptar Food + Beverage introduced a non-invasive anti-pathogenic packaging solution for sealed containers to the fresh produce sector. Also, Israel-based Sufresca developed edible coatings that eliminate fresh produce plastic packaging and reduce food loss and waste.

Edited by Anni Schleicher

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