Building on its long partnership with Sappi, Xeikon has developed food-safe, paper-based candy packs that are fully recyclable in the paper waste stream. With high image quality, bright colors and silky surface, packets of “Maoam Chew Fruit Mix” showcase Xeikon’s TITON dry toner technology printed on heat-sealable Sappi Seal Silk 67 g/m2 functional paper. Notably, this flexible packaging solution is food-safe without the need for any additional barriers in the structure, such as a varnish or other layers.

“Xeikon continues to meet brand owners’ demands for environmentally friendly and food-safe packaging with value-adding solutions created through close collaborations with other industry leaders,” says Frank Jacobs, Xeikon’s market intel and senior product manager. “Our latest sustainable flexible packaging solution is enabled by Sappi’s long-standing expertise in recyclable paper materials and the unique capabilities of Xeikon TITON dry toner.” 

Sappi Seal Silk is a functional single-coated paper with superior heat sealability and moisture barrier. Fully recyclable, it has been designed for both primary and secondary flexible packaging applications in the food and non-food sectors. Offering excellent printing results and openability, the paper is suitable for direct food contact, which complements the properties of Xeikon’s food-safe, odorless and migration-proof TITON toners. The new candy packs leverage the capabilities of these two technologies, presenting a package with great shelf appeal that is also highly resistant to the strains of the packaging journey.  

Sibylle Hajostek, market manager, Packaging Solutions at Sappi, comments, “The ongoing collaboration with Xeikon offers clear benefits for printers, as we can provide them with a well-tested route to producing recyclable flexible packaging with Sappi Seal Silk as the basis. Together we’re delivering sustainable innovation that the market needs in order to respond to end users’ demands for more eco-conscious packaging and to comply with new legislation for a circular economy.”

Xeikon’s TX500 digital press will be running live during drupa 2024 (28 May-7 June), in Düsseldorf, to demonstrate how these candy packs are printed in four colors, at a resolution of 1200 dpi and speed of 30 m/min (98 fpm). This 508mm (20″) wide printing machine is the first to use TITON dry toner technology. Resistant to heat, chemicals and mechanical abrasions, the toners enable printers to produce sustainable, paper-based food packaging without the need for a varnish or other protective layers. 

Jacobs concludes, “Sustainability is the biggest driver in packaging production today, but that doesn’t mean that we should compromise on quality. Visitors to drupa should head to the Xeikon booth (Hall 11/A01) to investigate our high-quality, paper-based packaging for themselves and discuss new market opportunities for their business with our experts.”