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Archroma opens innovation centre for paper whiteness

Archroma, a colour and specialty chemicals company, has inaugurated its new Global Competence Center for Whiteness in Prat, near Barcelona, Spain. The centre, which opened on July 5, strives to bring new, innovative whiteness and brightness solutions to the specialty paper and packaging markets.

Together with the Global Competence Centers for Colorants (Reinach, Switzerland) and for Surface & Coating Technology (Bradford, U.K.), the new Global Competence Center for Whiteness in Prat forms a network of experts fully dedicated to developing product packages to support its customer production process with integrated system solutions. The company also operates OBA (Optical Brightening Agent) and colorant manufacturing plants in Prat, recently extended with additional tetrasulfonated OBA production.

Over the last few years, Archroma has launched several eco-advanced solutions in the area of whiteness, such as Leucophor MT liquid, a REACH-registered, urea-free, modified tetrasulfonated OBA described as a cost-effective option to achieve high whiteness levels in a surface application, especially at the size press, and more recently on the North American market, Leucophor ACK liquid, an ultra-concentrated, urea-free disulfonated OBA for brilliant whiteness in stock and coating applications.

“As the paper market has been re-morphing and transforming in the past years, we see a growing demand for chemical solutions that support sustainability. And as consumers are increasingly looking for safer and eco-friendlier options, Archroma is committed to help its customers answer the call, and that clearly includes making sure whiteness solutions are designed accordingly,” Andrew Jackson, Product Manager OBAs, Archroma Packaging & Paper Specialties, says.