Mondi Packaging, working alongside Omega Intercept UK, has developed what it claims is the first ever corrugated carton with built-in corrosion protection using technology developed from the restoration techniques used for New York’s world-famous Statue of Liberty.
Mondi says omni-present gases like sulphur, chlorine, ozone and hydrogen sulphide slowly corrode many materials, costing industry millions of pounds annually. Protective coatings like those developed by some automotive and electronics companies can help, but take time and money to apply and, Mondi claims, can damage surfaces.
Mondi’s latest boxes are coated internally with an ink bonded with a patented highly reactive copper matrix, similar to that originally employed to rapidly age copper sheets used to repair and renovate the Statue of Liberty. The matrix neutralises corrosive gases, leaving the contents protected for over five years.
Mondi Packaging innovation manager Mark McCleery explains: “Intercept carton users simply place the products inside and seal the box up. The interior remains corrosive gas-free until opening or the copper’s properties are exhausted.”
Mondi says all corrosive gases are “preferential”, that is drawn to the most reactive substances present. The Intercept carton’s internal coating fulfils this criterion.
The company is currently the only corrugated cardboard manufacturer offering the technology.