Suitability of poly(butylene succinate) as a coating for paperboard convenience food packaging

Abstract

Take out and convenience food packaging has seen rapid growth in recent years, particularly in the last few months due to restrictions of in-restaurant dining. Paper-based packaging is often thought to be a more sustainable option to plastics. However, paper-based food packaging materials generally require supplemental treatments, such as applications of perfluorinated chemicals and petroleum-based plastics to improve performance. These are effective but limit sustainable end-of-life options (e.g., recycling and composting). Landfill diversion strategies are needed to divert food packaging waste as consumer demand for ready-to-eat (RTE) convenience meal kits and single-use packaging continues to increase municipal solid waste accumulation. This investigation evaluated the suitability of poly(butylene succinate; PBS) as a direct-melt coating on recycled paperboard for grease resistance in microwave rapid reheat and heat and hold convenience food packaging applications. This research demonstrates PBS as a viable alternative to perfluorinated chemicals and petroleum polymers with a more sustainable end-of-life option due to its oil migration resistance at elevated temperatures and compostability properties.