Munksjö, a world-leading manufacturer of advanced specialty papers, announces the launch of Steralia™, a technical paper for the manufacturing of medical pouches used for the sterilisation of medical devices. Once sealed, such medical pouches help identify the sterilisation method used, and once sterilised, maintain the sterility of the contents until opening, reducing infection risk for maximum patient safety.
Steralia acts as a filter to form an efficient bacterial barrier. This uncoated paper delivers high performance during the converting, sealing and sterilisation process of medical devices. Thanks to a good wet and dry strength combined with adequate permeability, the paper allows the passage of the sterilising agent into and out of the pack, while insuring the required bacterial barrier. The cold or heat sealing properties of Steralia makes it suitable for both paper-film or paper-paper medical pouches.
Steralia ensures trouble-free processing with the most common sterilisation methods such as steam, hot air, Eo-Gas, FORM-Gas and gamma irradiation. Made from virgin fibres, it offers a fibre-free peel for perfect cleanliness during opening. Available in 60g/m² and 70g/m², it delivers good results with flexo printing, lacquering and coating for impeccable product identification. Manufactured at Rottersac production site, Steralia complies with DIN EN ISO 11607-1 and DIN EN 868-3 & 6 standards.
Flexible packaging vice-president Alexandra Venot comments: "Patients safety and risk of bacterial infection is of high concern globally. Medical pouches are consequently a growing market with an increasing demand for sterilisation solutions of medical devices. Munksjö’s ambition is to provide technically-advanced materials for these very specific needs. As an expert in specialty papers, Munksjö also delivers solutions for pharmaceutical and food packaging applications. The company is continuously working on the development of paper-based solutions that address demanding requirements in markets where people safety is the key concern and strict health and safety regulations have to be followed."
The site of Rottersac has approximately 200 employees and is part of the Graphics and Packaging Business Area. The production site manufactures specialty papers for food and non-food flexible packaging, repositionable notes, transparent envelop windows and other industrial applications. The site is certified according to ISO 9001: 2008, ISO 14001: 2004, ISO 22000: 2005, OHSAS 18001: 2007, FSC[®] and PEFC™ Chain-of-Custody.