Michelman has introduced two bio-based, plastic-free coatings – Nuvita Life 4002 and Nuvita Life 4605 – designed to provide barrier performance while supporting recyclability and compostability in fiber-based retail food packaging applications.

Nuvita Life 4002 is a heat-seal coating that the company says provides oil and grease-resistance (OGR) and mineral-oil barrier performance. According to Michelman, it offers strong seals across a wide sealing window and is overcoatable, allowing for design flexibility in packaging structures.

Nuvita Life 4605 is a topcoat said to deliver OGR, water resistance, and moisture barrier performance for a range of retail food packaging applications.

Both coatings are described as microplastic-free, compliant with the European Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD), and 100% bio-based in dry film. The company states they are designed to support compatibility with existing recycling streams as well as compostability end-of-life pathways. Michelman says the products are aligned with the SUPD and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

Both coatings are also said to be crease-resistant and engineered with a low coefficient of friction to support use on vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) processing lines. Target applications include pouches and sachets for dry foods, flow wraps for food bars, and envelopes for tea.

“The Nuvita Life series unlocks new possibilities for paperization in retail food applications. These forward-looking technologies allow fiber-based packaging to deliver the high barrier performance converters and brands need while supporting compliance with regulations targeting plastic pollution and waste reduction,” said Lori Gobris, global marketing director, packaging, at Michelman.