Background

Background

In Europe, the packaging market is growing year after year and in particular, food packaging accounts for 65% of the total packaging market, of which 1,9 mln tons related to metal packaging, approximately 8 million €. The increasing worldwide demand for good quality and safer food products and the increasing societal concerns over food contaminants migration and health related drawbacks are a focus central subject topic in the food industry agenda. In response to pressure from consumers and to new, widespread sensitivity and awareness, the development strategies of the packaging sector can be summed up in two words: safety and sustainability.

Previous research has shown that bio-lacquer technology developed by the FP7 BIOCOPAC research project (www.biocopac.eu) has a high potential to address these concerns by the developing of a lacquer of natural origin, polyester type, with a high content of renewable component (it comes from tomato by-products), which does not contain BPA molecule.