Siegwerk, a global provider of printing inks and coatings for packaging applications and labels, is further strengthening its strategic focus on coatings. Recently, the company has bundled all circular coating solutions into its new CIRKIT product portfolio. Siegwerk already offers a wide range of functional coatings and is constantly developing new customized solutions that comply with the existing and upcoming regulations of European legislation and pave the way for a circular future of packaging. A new uniform naming concept for Siegwerk’s expanding portfolio of functional coatings now ensures even more recognition value and transparency to stakeholders along the entire value chain. 

With the new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), the European Union (EU) is clearly defining the future of packaging towards circularity. From 2030, no packaging may be sold in the EU anymore that is not recyclable. It is therefore essential to rethink packaging structures towards recyclability. Functional coatings are an important building block in this process. Siegwerk knows this and uses its vantage point in the packaging supply chain to develop solutions that meet current and future needs for manufacturers of paper and paperboard as well as films and foils, converters and brand owners.

“Especially in light of the increasing importance of sustainability, functional coatings offer a high potential for the future of packaging. As they provide specific functional properties that are crucial for the performance and durability of packaging, they play a key role in realizing packaging solutions in the sense of a Circular Economy. That is why we will strengthen our focus on the development of innovative coating technologies going forward,” says Gilles Le Moigne, head business unit CE Coatings at Siegwerk.

Next to an improved production efficiency, functional coatings can for example help to replace extra material layers, and thereby reduce packaging complexity, or equip renewable materials like paper with functional properties enabling their use for a wider range of packaging applications. Functional coatings are therefore particularly important for the switch from plastic to paper (“paperization”), one of the most discussed trends given the growing consumer awareness for sustainable packaging.

Siegwerk’s portfolio of functional coatings today covers several water-based and solvent-based technologies for different applications, substrates, coating processes and performances: From barrier coatings against liquids, oil and grease, water vapor, oxygen, and UV light through heat seal coatings to protection coatings. As Siegwerk continues to expand its portfolio in this field, it has now introduced an own uniform naming concept for its CIRKIT products. \

“We want our customers or potential customers to find what they are looking for directly. With our new brand for functional coatings and a standardized name that includes an indication of the product’s function, we make our portfolio recognizable and transparent,” explains Le Moigne. The portfolio includes CIRKIT OXYBAR, an oxygen barrier coating guaranteeing an extended shelf life, particularly for dry food packaging. Further solutions offered are CIRKIT GREASEBAR, an oil and grease resistant barrier coating, and CIRKIT UVBAR, a barrier coating protecting against UV light and CIRKIT CLEARPRIME allowing smooth deinking of hardly deinkable surface printed structures and laminates. Siegwerk is currently in the process of registering the CIRKIT brand as a trademark.

Siegwerk has always been active in the field of coatings: With the production of printing solutions like silk or soft-touch varnishes, resistant overprint-varnishes, primers or special relief lacquers, the ink expert has always been supporting its customers with complementing products to its variety of high-quality inks. Next to the wide range of functional coatings, customers can also choose from effective primer solutions amongst others for delamination and deinking as well as decorative coatings for extraordinary visual or tactile effects. All coatings are produced worldwide and always tailored to individual customer requirements, including specific regional regulations and local market needs.

In this context, Siegwerk is not only a supplier of inks and coatings for printers, but also a partner for substrate manufacturers, converters and brand owners to develop and implement sustainable packaging concepts that meet the upcoming regulatory requirements for PPWR and others. “As an ink and coating expert for packaging, Siegwerk is very familiar with packaging design and the latest regulations, including food safety and packaging sustainability,” says Le Moigne “We know what it takes to create packaging structures for circularity that are conform with all relevant regulations.” Based on its expertise across the entire packaging process – from raw material selection to packaging recycling – Siegwerk bundles knowledge across all disciplines in the packaging lifecycle.