Paperscreening

Paper is increasingly being used for food and cosmetics packaging, which is in line with the EU sustainability strategy. However, in order to guarantee the product safety of sensitive filling goods such as food, very low limit and guideline values for non-intentionally added substances must be adhered to. This prevents companies from developing and using paper packaging.

Even though the requirements for packaging are constantly increasing, there are fewer specific requirements for cosmetics packaging compared to food packaging. Regulation (EC) No. 1223/2009 on cosmetic products stipulates that manufacturers may only place safe products on the market. For cosmetic packaging, this means that no substances may be released from the packaging in concentrations that could be harmful to human health. A risk assessment can be carried out individually for a real application using the TTC concept for dermal exposure, as is already used in the assessment of plastics.

However, due to the differences to plastics, the identification of migrating substances in fibre-based and new materials requires optimised screening methods. New analytical methods are needed to identify and quantify natural substances, additives and processing aids as well as their reaction and degradation products in these materials.

The aim of this project is to develop innovative analytical methods for sustainable and safe packag-ing in the cosmetics industry. The first step is to identify suitable packaging solutions and determine migration limits. Based on this, the identified materials will be analysed for volatile and semi-volatile