Editorial: Coating innovations for driving the next generation of sustainable packaging, TAPPI Journal November 2025

Optimizing base stock performance to control coat weight, and the associated costs, to make sustainable packaging structures more commercially competitive with the plastic ones we are trying to replace.
Addressing the evolution of sustainable packaging solutions from the current state to recyclable and eventually to completely biodegradable. A key part of this evolution will center on our ability to achieve the high barrier properties and low cost seen with plastic using a paper replacement.
From a process standpoint, it will likely take a series of coating layers to achieve our performance goals. This may mean part of the coating process is done at the mill and another part at a converter. Print appliable coatings will be critical to the evolution.
Author: Steve Ottone

Welcome to the 2025 Special Coating Issue of TAPPI Journal. As we reflect on developments in 2025, the industry’s focus on sustainable packaging continues to sharpen, bringing several critical coating challenges and opportunities into view.