How is a laminated paper cup made?
How is a laminated paper cup made?
Most paper cups for drinks are currently made from coated board, or cupstock, in single or double wall. The barrier coating is generally made of polyethylene (abbreviated PE), a plastic resin, which is extruded and then laminated onto the board. The cup comprises a paperboard substrate with a basis weight of 150 to 350 g/m2 and a PE coating of 8 to 20 g/m2, which has a thickness of around 50 μm.
The outer (top) layer can be coated to improve printability and heat-sealability. The end edges are fixed to each other by various production methods, generally by hot bonding (hot air or ultrasonic).
The paper cups also include a rolled circular rim and a separate circular bottom part attached and heat-sealed to the side wall. The latter is of a thicker gauge than the board used for the bottom. Sometimes the bottom part of the cup is PE-coated on both sides for a better seal.
What types of board are used for paper cups?
When manufacturing paper cups, the board used can have different types of certification, which can have an impact on the cost of sourcing the raw material, an environmental impact (sustainable forest management or not) and a social impact (wages and working conditions of employees). In the following sections, we will distinguish between standard board, FSC-certified board and FSI-certified board.
Non-certified paper cups
The main raw material that manufacturers of paper cups need is wood, which is a renewable resource. The board used for non-certified cups can come from forests around the world, such as the Amazon, but also from European forests that comply with FSC standards but are not certified.
FSC paper cups
When a product or paper states that it is FSC-certified, it means that the entire manufacturing process of that product has been FSC-certified, that is, the manufacturer and all distributors and sellers are FSC-certified. Companies that want to sell FSC products must follow the rules and principles set by the FSC. The FSC organisation has established ten principles with which forestry must comply, such as not harvesting more trees than the forest itself can reproduce, thus guaranteeing a constant source of materials.
In Europe, 92% of the forests managed by European pulp and paper companies are certified by either the FSC or the Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). In Europe, 72% of the paper consumed is sent for recycling and 90% of newspapers are printed on recycled paper.
The FSC has 3 different labels that are stamped on their products, called FSC 100%, FSC Recycled and FSC Mix.
FSC 100%.
This FSC 100% certification means that the wood contained in the product comes entirely from well-managed, FSC-certified forests.
FSC Recycled
This FSC Recycled certification means that all the wood or board contained in the product comes from reclaimed or reused materials.
FSC Mix
This FSC Mix certification means that products bearing this label are made from a mixture of recycled materials, FSC-certified forests or controlled wood.
