Additives are an important component of packaging film technology. Additives in packaging films are special substances that are added to the base materials during the manufacturing process to improve or modify certain properties of the films .
These additives tailor the properties and performance, processing behavior, shelf life, and functionality of films to specific requirements. Some of the most common additives and their functions in packaging films include, for example, stabilizers, plasticizers, lubricants, antistatic agents, pigments, barrier additives, and additives that promote biodegradability.
Barrier Additives for Improved Protective Films
Barrier additives improve a film's barrier properties against oxygen, water vapor, and other gases. They are essential, particularly in the food industry, for packaging designed to protect products from moisture and the loss of aroma or flavor.
Biodegradable Additives
Biodegradable additives improve the biodegradability of plastic films. To achieve greater sustainability and biodegradability in the packaging industry, the development of biodegradable additives is of great importance.
These additives accelerate the degradation of plastics when they are disposed of in a biologically active environment, such as a composting facility.
This makes it possible to produce sustainable films with the appropriate properties, which are an important step toward greater environmental sustainability.
