Aluminized paper becomes the first choice for green packaging

Aluminum foil gold and silver cardboard, PET composite cardboard ... ... more and more packaging materials, the process is becoming more and more complex, but it has widened the distance and environmental protection ---

First, the necessity of developing a green packaging industry.

China's packaging industry is one of the major industries in the national economy. It has sustained high-speed development in the past decade or so. China's packaging industry currently has more than 25,000 companies, and its annual production value has increased from 7.2 billion yuan in 1980 to 220 billion yuan in 2000, which has increased by nearly 20% every year. However, the development of the packaging industry also consumes a lot of resources. The annual packaging output is about 30 million tons, and the recycling rate of other products is quite low except beer bottles and plastic turnover boxes. The recovery rate of other products is less than 20% of the total output of the packaging products. In Europe and the United States, the waste paper recycling rate has reached 50% -60%, and the utilization rate has reached 70% - 85%, while in Japan in the early 1950s, the packaging paper product recovery rate has reached 50%. 80%. A large amount of packaging waste damages our living environment. Take cigarette packaging as an example. In recent years, China's cigarette packaging has been greatly developed, and the packaging of some products far exceeds the packaging level of some famous international brands. At the same time, however, the use of non-degradable aluminum foil, gold and silver composite paperboard (film), mirror composite paper (film), packaging film, polypropylene fiber, cable, and other non-environmental materials is increasing. After these products are discarded, they are difficult to degrade and are difficult to recycle. China is a big consumer of tobacco and alcohol, and it is also a country with relatively poor resources. The number of tobacco and wine packaging that cannot be recycled every year is staggering, which wastes resources and causes environmental pollution. Therefore, China's packaging industry to promote the "green packaging" is inevitable, is to shorten the gap between China's packaging industry and developed countries in the same industry, to meet the development needs of domestic and foreign trade must be the way.

For tobacco packaging, “environmental protection” must be considered. Both tobacco companies and packaging suppliers increasingly recognize the necessity and urgency of using and developing environmentally friendly products.

At present, the degree of environmental protection in every aspect of cigarette products in Western countries is very high. If Chinese tobacco companies do not adapt to this internationally-accepted “rules of the game” as soon as possible, it means that the market with huge profits will be surrendered. At the same time, the use of environmentally friendly packaging products by tobacco companies is also a “green pass” to the world market. Therefore, the production and application of “green packaging” products will be the focus of tobacco industry development in the next few years.

At present, environmental protection is increasingly becoming an important issue that involves the survival and development of each company and individual, as well as the country’s sustainable development. The continuous emergence of new environmentally-friendly materials and new technologies is an increasingly realistic choice for environmentally-friendly green packaging. The developed countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, Japan, and France have formulated corresponding packaging regulations and policies, and some countries have also implemented the “Environmental Protection Marking” system to strengthen the awareness of environmental protection among manufacturers, importers, and retailers. . Not long ago, eight ministries and commissions jointly issued a document that will gradually restrict and prohibit the use of non-environmentally-friendly packaging products in 2005. In 2008, our country defined the "Olympic Games" as a green Olympics.

Second, what is "green packaging"? In recent years, why is the popularity of aluminum foil gold and silver paperboard and PET composite paperboard non-environmental materials?

The so-called “green packaging” refers to packaging that is harmless to the ecological environment and human health, can be reused and reused, and can promote sustainable development. Therefore, developed countries in the world have determined that packaging meets the “4R+1D” principle, namely low consumption, development of new green materials, reuse, recycling and degradability.

In terms of cigarette packs, Chinese tobacco packaging has been moving from soft packs, plain white card hard packs to glass cards, and popular aluminum foil gold and silver cardboard in recent years, and high-grade matte technology using PET composite cardboard. The forefront of the packaging industry. Although aluminum foil gold and silver paperboard and PET composite paperboard have been formed as high-grade packaging materials with good decorative performance and anti-counterfeiting performance, they are non-environmental materials. What are the reasons?

Aluminum foil gold and silver cardboard is a composite product of aluminum foil and paper, which is 125 times the aluminum consumption of aluminum-plated paper, which is not conducive to environmental protection, and the thickness of the aluminum layer leads to poor folding durability and reduced packaging performance. Aluminum foil gold and silver cardboard can neither be recycled as aluminum products, nor can it be recycled as paper. PET composite paperboard is a composite product of aluminized film and paper. Because plastic film cannot be degraded, it is not conducive to environmental protection.

At present, the largest application market for aluminized paper is North America and Europe, which account for 80% of the world market. The annual consumption of aluminum coated paper in North America is 120,000 tons, of which labels account for 60% and the tobacco industry accounts for 18%. The European aluminum coated paper has an annual consumption of 90,000 tons, of which soft packaging accounts for 51%, labels account for 15%, and the tobacco industry accounts for 14% %, gifts are 5%, decorative paper is 5%, and others are 10%. Over the past decade, the growth rate of aluminum-plated paper in the North American and European markets has exceeded 6%.

Therefore, the rapid development of aluminum-plated paper in the Asia Pacific region is a general trend, and aluminum-coated paper has come to the forefront.

Third, there are two production processes of aluminum-plated paper? Why are some companies spending more money for the development of the green packaging industry?

There are two production processes for aluminized paper: direct aluminum plating and indirect aluminum plating.

1. Direct aluminum plating

The roll paper is mounted on a vacuum aluminum plater and plated with aluminum. This process requires high paper and is suitable for thin paper types.

2. Indirect aluminum plating (transfer method)

Aluminium is rolled on a roll of polyester or polypropylene plastic film, composited with paper, and the plastic film is peeled off. This process does not require much paper. It can also be used in thick paper, and the peeled plastic film can be reused.

Several plants have spent a lot of money on the development of the green packaging industry. Many equipments have been imported, and some factories have not formed qualified products, and there are no breakthroughs in the technical difficulties. What is the key?

Indirect aluminum plating (transfer method) A lot of crystal spots (cracks) appear on aluminized paper. This is due to the explosion of ink on the UV ink layer of the final process of printing.

The direct aluminum plating method, the foreign use of wax technology, many domestic manufacturers did not break through the wax technology, do not use wax technology, a number of factory coatings used but not off. Therefore, the production of qualified direct aluminum-plated paper is only a bubble.

Fourth, the aluminum-plated paper market supply and demand analysis and industrial development strategies.

Looking at the market for paper-based aluminized packaging materials in China, it can generally be divided into three stages. The first stage: the market for aluminized cards (paper) is concentrated on beer labels. This part of the market has now reached a stage of steady growth, and it is estimated that it will continue to grow steadily for several years. The second stage: Aluminized cards (paper) are started and used in large quantities for cigarette packaging and other products (such as cell phone boxes, cosmetics, etc.). At present, the aluminum spray paper (card) market is in a rapid growth stage in the second phase and is expected to reach a peak in the next 2-3 years. If aluminum coated paper (cards) is used for cigarettes packed in 50% of China's gold and silver cards (paper), at least 600-700 million large boxes will be sold, and the market size will be 3 to 5 billion yuan. The third phase: rapid growth phase, is expected in 3-5 years, another important market for aluminized paper cigarette lining paper will enter a period of rapid growth, and its scale will reach a market size of about 20-25 billion yuan.

On the other hand, as the industry's development prospects continue to improve, the number of manufacturing companies added has increased rapidly. According to incomplete statistics, no fewer than 30 companies have already established or are investing in aluminum-plating projects. Some companies also have large scales and advanced equipment, and some have more than 20 equipment imported from Germany and Japan with international advanced level in the 1990s. Taiwan, the annual production capacity of more than 80 million meters, the output value of more than 300 million yuan.