HELSINKI — Ahlstrom, a specialty packaging materials producer, announced an expansion of its FluoroFree® technology, offering grease-resistant packaging solutions for human and pet food applications. The technology expands the company’s packaging offerings and also boasts sustainability benefits.  

“We have been on a continuous development journey of our proprietary FluoroFree family of grease-resistant products for more than a decade, and we continue to push the boundaries on grease-resistance capabilities,” said Travis Dahlke, vice president of Ahlstrom’s North American Food Packaging business. “We have now proven our expertise, commercializing products that demand the highest grease resistance in food packaging.”

Made without any Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS), FluoroFree offers grease-resistant and sustainability benefits, serving as an alternative to less sustainable film and foil materials.

Ahlstrom's fiber-based paper packaging materials can be used for human and pet food applicationsSource: Ahlstrom

“We truly were at the forefront of not only anticipating the movement away from traditionally used PFAS chemicals in the packaging industry, but we have worked directly with the sustainability community and brand owners to act on these changes even before the marketplace demanded such change,” said Mark Ushpol, executive vice president of Ahlstrom’s Food & Consumer Packaging Division. “This has now positioned us to develop these next generations of sustainable, grease-resistant barrier properties well ahead of rest of the industry.”

As well as offering sustainability benefits, FluoroFree papers are food-contact safe under FDA and EU regulations and meet legislative requirements on PFAS established by the Danish Ministry of Environment and Food. FluoroFree is also specifically designed for recyclability and is certified compostable by the Biodegradable Products Institute.

The FluoroFree papers can be applied to Ahlstrom’s human food packaging papers, as well as to its line of fiber-based pet food packaging, called PawPrint®. Ahlstrom’s PawPrint packaging line consists of sustainable, flexible packaging papers for muti-wall bags that boast high functionality, durability and bright visuals.

Read more about packaging solutions and trends for pet food and treats.