Shunho Creative X Packaging Europe | How Sustainable are Metallized Papers？

Metallized papers can make packaging stand out on the shelf, but how sustainable are they? 

At the invitation of Packaging Europe, Shunho's General Manager Lily Ni and Deputy General Manager Sissi Xu had an in-depth conversation with Packaging Europe's industry expert Elisabeth Skoda. 

We are delighted to be featured by Packaging Europe to introduce our brand and products to more industry professionals! Here is the interview

【Packaging Europe】：Hello and welcome to the latest edition of our sustainability perspectives podcast which is part of a virtual portion of the sustainable packaging summit. We hear from a range of different packaging experts to learn more about how their company tackles the sustainability challenges the world faces. 

My name is Elisabeth Skoda and today we'll focus on metallized papers together with Shanghai Shunho Creative. We'll discuss how these papers can make packaging stand out at the point of sale while still being sustainable. We'll explore some common misperceptions about the material and how Shanghai Shunho Creative solutions fulfill stringent sustainability criteria. 

With me to do this today is Lily Ni, who is the general manager of Shunho Creative. We also have Sissi Xu who is VP at Shunho Creative. Welcome both. Thank you very much for being on the podcast today. 

Could you tell me a bit more about Shunho Creative and the work the company does? 

【Lily Ni】：Actually Shunho Creative is a kind of brand name for our products which is mainly focused on offering some packaging solutions, especially for green packaging. We mean green packaging is sustainability packaging. 

【Packaging Europe】：I think there are some misconceptions or misperceptions around metallized paper out there. Could you tell me what some of these common misperceptions are? 

【Lily Ni】：Yeah. At the very beginning, when we came to the markets, we could see a lot of shining boards. Shining packaging is like a silver metalized for once. Most people will think that this kind of packaging is PT laminated or aluminum laminated, which gives the impression that this kind of packaging can not be degradable and is not good for our environment. 

So the first impression is that this packaging is not so good for the products. But actually, I think the technology came from about 20 years ago, this technology we call transfer metallized paper or paperboard. This technology would which we did is trans metallize means we use the PET as the media, and finally, we peel off the PET, so the paperboard has no PT films. They keep the same appearance of the metallized surface, but it's really sustainability. It could be degradable and recyclable. So I think that is kind of a misunderstanding or just a different opinion about this shiny metalized paper packaging.

（Metallized paperboard keep the same appearance of the metallized surface, with fancy looking but really sustainability）

【Packaging Europe】：What makes SHUNHO’s products different or stand apart from the competition? 

【Lily Ni】：Most of the competitions are coming from those people who make PET laminated paper board, both in China and globally. Right now, not so many, you still using aluminum foil laminated for the paper packaging, but maybe for some other uses like a pouch pity pouch, they still keep on using minimum files for tobacco, cosmetics, and health care. They'll still keep on using PET laminated paperboard for the packaging.

Our products, as I mentioned before, are release pet film. Finally, we can use the PT film in-house 2 or 3 times again. And our products are really PET film Free. That means no pet film on it. And the aluminum foil, but the foil thickness is only 30 nm, which means it's really, very rare. It's environmentally friendly.

（The PET film can easily be removed）

【Packaging Europe】：And could you elaborate a bit more on how you achieve re-cyclability for your product? 

【Sissi Xu】：First, our finished product Transmet contains 0% plastic and is also made of over 90 % wood pop. We ensure all real materials and components come from a supplier who follows social and environmental responsibility standards, including water-based adhesives, release coating, and also aluminum layers. So they are also compliant with the food contact safety certifications. So these design choices made our products recyclable with paper efficiently and also cost-efficiently using today's recycling technologies. 

Additionally, in our factory, we also actively promote recycling. For example, the plastic PET films used during our production will be recycled at least 4 or 5 times. And after that will be returned back to our film supplier. Because we signed recycling agreement with our film suppliers. The packaging materials we're using will be internally reused and recycled. Our employees are educated, and our customers have the courage to join our recycling programs as well.  

【Packaging Europe】：I wanted to ask you the same about combustibility. How do you achieve combustibility? 

【Sissi Xu】：Well, when we design our products, we focus on how to minimize the material usage while you're maintaining the functionality. That's why we use the transfer metallization technology to produce our product, which applies only a 30-nanometer aluminum layer. As Lily mentioned, it's very thin, even thinner than our hair, but still delivers a high-quality metallic finish.

Additionally, our commitment to 0 % plastic over 90 % wood puff, and sourcing from socially responsible suppliers allow us to achieve compatibility, including home compatibility. This means our Transmet products can naturally decompose in everyday environments without any special treatments.

【Packaging Europe】：Could you tell me a bit more about what compostability and recyclability certificates you have? 

【Sissi Xu】：Regarding compatibility, our Transmet products are certified by OK composed of both industrial and home. For transfer metalizing technology, meeting the standard US ASTM D6400, and the European standard EN 13432 standards. 

Regarding recycling abilities, we passed the Aticelca 501 test, evaluating the recyclability of cellular-based packaging. 

Looking ahead, we also plan to adopt the SAP CPI recyclability test method version to the latest one. We focus on recycling in standard paper. 

【Packaging Europe】：Thank you. Moving back to your product range. Could you give me some examples of successful product ranges? 

【Lily Ni】：For this part, I have to explain that our company the products mainly focus on the tobacco business. So in China, a lot of tobacco brands are using our products. For the non-tobacco business, we just started this part of business about 2 years ago. So right now, not so many brands using it, but I can still mention some of them like Colgate, the toothpaste in Thailand and Taiwan, using this kind of technology,  and we supply the film to the laminators locally. The other one is NIVEA cosmetic, in skincare, they just loaded these products this year, and they have two series of skin care using it. And still, we are trying to discover some more cosmetics, maybe medicine and healthy care.

（One example of Metallized paperboard applied in the cosmetic industry， high-quality look, good to protect the product, and eco-friendly to the environment）

【Packaging Europe】：My final question to wrap up our conversation today. Are there any new developments in the pipeline that you would like to talk about? 

【Sissi Xu】：As our pioneer in sustainable packaging in this industry, we are exploring alternatives to plastic and aluminum. One of our key focuses is functional paper, including high moisture berry paper, high oxygen berry paper, and high oil berry paper. This innovation aims to provide effective and eco-friendly solutions for diverse packaging needs. We hope one of these products will be launched on the market in 1 to 2 years. 

【Packaging Europe】：Thank you very much, Lily and Sissi as well. That brings us to the end of today's podcast. Thank you very much for being here today. 

【Lily Ni & Sissi Xu】：Thank you very much. Thank you for your time. 

【Packaging Europe】：Just a quick reminder to listeners make sure you subscribe to a podcast, so you don't miss them, or miss out on any of the latest episodes.

About Packaging Europe

Packaging Europe brings together the FMCG value chain through our world-class, multimedia reporting and commentary, and transformative initiatives such as the Sustainable Packaging Summit and global Sustainability Awards competition, to change the conversation about packaging. More than just a media company, we provide the industry with leadership in information, ideas and connections: we are an essential value chain partner in solving the world’s packaging challenges.