Paper, Meet Polymer: A New Packaging Pact

UPM and BASF unite barrier papers with Joncryl HPB coatings to push recyclable, fiber-based packaging across Europe.

30 Jun 2026

UPM Specialty Materials and BASF have agreed a partnership to develop recyclable, fibre-based packaging, the companies said on May 4. The deal pairs UPM's barrier papers with BASF's Joncryl HPB coating technology, targeting a market under growing pressure to cut plastic use.

That pressure stems largely from regulation. The EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, which took effect this year, sets binding recyclability requirements and is pushing brand owners and converters away from plastic-heavy laminates. Multi-layer plastics have long been used to block moisture, grease and gas from spoiling goods; finding a fibre-based substitute with similar protection has proved difficult.

Mika Uusikartano, senior manager for product portfolio management at UPM Specialty Materials, said the shift "requires both advanced barrier performance and close collaboration across the value chain." His comment points to a wider pattern: companies in packaging are increasingly partnering across stages of production rather than working in isolation.

The technical case rests on substitution. Fibre treated with Joncryl HPB can match the barrier properties of multi-layer plastic, the companies say, without the recycling problems those laminates create. For converters facing compliance deadlines, that offers a tested alternative rather than a research project.

Consumer goods companies operating in Europe are likely to feel the effects first, as many redesign packaging to meet the new rules. Adoption beyond Europe will depend on whether the technology holds up at scale and whether other regulators follow Brussels' lead. Neither company has disclosed financial terms of the collaboration.