- YUNICO® promotes the sustainability of food packaging by enabling recycling
- Technology improves the mechanical properties of packaging
- Product solution increases customer benefits through individualized application solutions
Bremen, August 12, 2024 – Every year, the ALTANA Innovation Award celebrates the most promising new developments from the globally active specialty chemicals group. This year, a team from ALTANA’s ACTEGA division secured this top honor. The award was given to the patented YUNICO® technology platform, which will play a role in accelerating sustainable transformation of the packaging industry.
ACTEGA’s products address, among other things, packaging applications where food contact safety and sustainably are critical. YUNICO® provides a platform technology that broadens ACTEGA’s solution set to offer to its customers. Fundamentally, this technology unlocks the ability to disperse highly customizable compounds into stable water-based coating. ACTEGA’s customers pair this coating technology to enable new functionality – including barrier properties, recyclability, and adhesion – in their packaging.
YUNICO® provides barrier properties against water, water vapor, and oil, among other things. Whether for drinking cups, stand-up pouches, or pizza boxes, the barrier protects the contents and packaging from external influences throughout the entire shelf life, helping to maintain quality.
“The innovative team behind YUNICO® has developed a true platform technology that will play a fundamental role in making the sustainable transformation of packaging a reality”, says Ben Lux, CTO of ACTEGA. “For our customers and the entire packaging industry, packaging recyclability, reduction of Scope 3 emissions, and food contact safety are the top priorities. YUNICO® delivers this using ACTEGA’s well-known thermoplastic elastomers – which are free of PVC, BPA, and VOCs – and provides a future-friendly platform to leverage the increasing availability of new biobased raw materials being introduced to the market.”
Innovative strength and customer focus characterize winning team
"The innovative YUNICO® technology combines our ambition to develop sustainable and pioneering product solutions that open up new, diverse potential for our customers. By enabling recycling, YUNICO® helps to promote safer and more sustainable food packaging for the entire industry. The winning team from ACTEGA has impressively demonstrated what sets ALTANA apart: innovative strength and customer focus,” says Dr. Petra Severit, Chief Technology Officer of ALTANA.
With the ALTANA Innovation Award, the company recognizes outstanding research achievements by its employees. In addition to innovative performance, criteria such as creativity, economic efficiency, and sustainability are also taken into account in the assessment. In addition, the product developments have already been successfully launched on the market.
The winning team of the ALTANA Innovation Award together with Ben Lux and Dr. Petra Severit:
Ben Lux, Nils Conrad, Dr. Rüdiger Wittenberg, Marius Würzburg, Dr. Petra Severit, Hendrik Neuelmann (from left to right)
Copyright: ALTANA AG
About ALTANA:
ALTANA is a global leader in true specialty chemicals. The Group offers innovative, environmentally compatible solutions for coating manufacturers, paint and plastics processors, the printing and packaging industries, the cosmetics sector, and the electrical and electronics industry. The product range includes additives, specialty coatings and adhesives, effect pigments, sealants and compounds, impregnating resins and varnishes, and testing and measuring instruments. ALTANA's four divisions, BYK, ECKART, ELANTAS, and ACTEGA, all occupy a leading position in their target markets with respect to quality, product solution expertise, innovation, and service.
Headquartered in Wesel, Germany, the ALTANA Group has 64 production facilities and 68 service and research laboratories worldwide. Throughout the Group, around 8,000 people work to ensure the worldwide success of ALTANA. In 2023, ALTANA achieved sales of more than € 2.7 billion. About 7 percent of the total sales is invested in research and development each year. Its high earning power and high growth rate make ALTANA one of the world's most innovative, fastest growing, and most profitable chemical companies.
About ACTEGA:
ACTEGA is a division of the internationally operating specialty chemicals group ALTANA. With production facilities in Europe, North and South America and China, ACTEGA develops, produces and distributes specialty coatings, inks, adhesives and sealing compounds with a focus on the packaging industry. Following the motto "Packed with Expertise", ACTEGA does not only offer technically sophisticated product solutions, but also meets the high safety standards of the food, beverage, pharmaceutical and toy industries. Whether for flexible and metal packaging, folding cartons or labels, products by ACTEGA provide packaging with a high-quality appearance and innovative functionalities.