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Smart Planet Technologies

EarthCoating® Explained

Why EarthCoating®

A mineralised-resin extrusion coating for paper substrates, designed as a practical, drop-in alternative to conventional LDPE coatings.

The Practical Proposition

Conventional processing, engineered end-of-life behavior.

EarthCoating is a mineralised-resin extrusion coating with 40–51% calcium carbonate (CaCO3) mineral loading, depending on the formulation. It is designed to provide barrier and heat-seal performance for paper-based packaging while working on standard extrusion-coating equipment.

For converters, the intended proposition is a drop-in replacement for LDPE coatings: the pellet changes, not the basic manufacturing platform. Specific processing settings and performance requirements remain application-dependent.

EarthCoating overview
Paper cup packaging using EarthCoating

The Recycling Mechanism

Physical fracture and mechanical separation—not dissolution.

EarthCoating is designed to behave differently from conventional PE coatings in a paper pulper. The mechanism is physical: the mineralised coating fractures into small, dense particles that can be separated from recovered paper fiber by conventional screening and cleaning equipment.

What happens in the pulper
Mineral content contributes to the coating’s brittle fracture behavior under pulping conditions, producing small, dense particles.
How separation occurs
Mechanical pressure screening and centrifugal cleaning separate coating particles from the fiber stream, in the manner used for mineral clay coatings.
What it is not
EarthCoating does not rely on dissolution to separate from paper fiber. It is not a water-soluble barrier system.
Why that matters
The design objective is clean fiber recovery through conventional paper-mill processing, subject to the specific material, format, and mill process.

A Distinct Technology

Not a dispersion coating.

EarthCoating is an extrusion coating, not a water-based dispersion coating. Its barrier layer is a mineralised resin applied through extrusion, rather than a dispersion system applied and dried from water.

EarthCoating’s approach

Its recycling mechanism is physical fracture and mechanical separation. During paper recycling, mineralised coating particles are managed through screening and cleaning operations rather than dissolving into the pulper water.

Dispersion-coating distinction

Water-based dispersion coatings can introduce a different recycling consideration: dispersed material may remain in process water and contribute to dissolved and colloidal substances (DCS) and pulper-water fouling. EarthCoating does not present that dispersion-coating pathway.

Application note: Recycling outcomes depend on the complete packaging specification and the receiving mill’s process. Technology selection should be validated for the intended pack, market, and recycling route.

Designed for Practical Adoption

A clearer route from paper packaging to recovered fiber.

MATERIAL

40–51% mineral loading

Calcium carbonate replaces a portion of polymer content in the coating formulation and supports the material’s fracture behavior.

PROCESS

Extrusion-coating platform

EarthCoating is designed for standard extrusion coating equipment, supporting an efficient transition for converters.

END OF LIFE

Paper-stream focus

Its objective is to keep paper-based packaging compatible with conventional paper recycling operations, subject to the full material configuration.

Explore the evidence and applications.

Review the public recyclability evidence, certification overview, and paper-packaging applications for EarthCoating.

Recyclability evidence Applications