Sealing Paper Packaging without Adhesives
News / 02 March 2026
Paper packaging offers a number of advantages over its plastic counterparts: It has a high recycling rate, lower CO₂ emissions, and lower disposal costs. However, it cannot yet be sealed without adhesives or layers of plastic – a disadvantage for manufacturing and recycling processes. In the PAPURE project, four Fraunhofer institutes are developing a laser-based process that enables completely adhesive-free paper packaging.
Since plastic packaging accounts for a large fraction of plastic waste, the demand for environmentally friendly packaging options is increasing. One material that is becoming more and more popular as a sustainable alternative to plastic is paper. However, the problem is that sealing paper packaging requires additives such as adhesives or plastic. These additives contaminate the paper, complicate the recycling process, and reduce the quality of the recycled material. This poses a significant challenge to the otherwise established and efficient paper recycling process. In the PAPURE project, the Fraunhofer institutes for Applied Polymer Research IAP, for Material and Beam Technology IWS, for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV and for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU are looking to improve recyclability by sealing paper packaging without any additives. The institutes are pooling their expertise to develop a sealing process using laser treatment to modify the paper so that it can then be sealed directly with a heat sealing process. The project focuses on analyzing various papers and characterizing materials (Fraunhofer IAP), laser-based surface modification (Fraunhofer IWS), developing an innovative sealing system (Fraunhofer IVV), and establishing an industry-oriented demonstrator (Fraunhofer IWU). A laboratory-scale manufacturing unit is being built at Fraunhofer IWU in Dresden that replicates the process for manufacturing a typical packaging material.