All Vacumet Corp. metallized papers are designed to be compatible with the environment. Vacumet Corp.'s products are produced on base papers that can contain up to 50%-recycled fiber. The percentage is determined by the functionality required in the final application.

A non-toxic coating is applied onto a base paper to improve the gloss and functionality of the surface. The coating is covered with a thin layer of aluminum (approximately one millionth of an inch, deposited in a high vacuum). The total weight of this deposit is one ounce per thousand square feet of product. A print primer is applied to insure the printability of the aluminum surface.

All components are non-toxic and no heavy metals are added in Vacumet's processing. Vacumet's products have been tested and satisfy the CONEG and ASTM F963-96 4.3.5 "Standard Consumer Safety Specification on Toy Safety" requirements for permitted concentrations of soluble heavy metals. In addition, no ozone-depleting chemicals, so-called Class I (Chlorofluorocarbons, Carbontetrachlorides, Methyl Chloride, etc.) or Class II (Hydrochlorofluorcarbons) chemicals are used in the manufacture of Vacumet's metallized products.

Tests conducted in Vacumet's laboratories and in outside laboratories have shown that Vacumet Corp's papers will break down for re-pulping during normal de-inking processes used during the recycling of printed paper products. Vacumet actively works to establish outlets for the recycling of its metallized paper. An example of Vacumet's recycling effort is the re-pulping of our papers to produce writing tablets.

Vacumet's products have been certified as having less than the allowable limits of heavy metal elements (including Lead, Cadmium, Chromium, and Mercury) as specified by:

1. CONEG (Clean Land Fill Requirements)
2. ASTM F-963-96 4.3.5; Standard Consumer Safety Specification on Toy Safety
3. EN-71 (European Standards)

General Composition
In general, Vacumet's products consist of standard C1S (coated one side) or C2S (coated two sides) papers in a range of basis weights. 87.5% - 94.0% of the weights of the finished products are simply paper. As with all papers, base stocks are selected for end market applications. These include papers that have been FDA approved for direct food contact and papers made from recycled fibers. The remaining weight (6% - 13%) is accounted for by aluminum and specific acrylate polymers used as both a pre-metallization lacquer and print primer coating.

All current VACU-BRITE® and HoloPRISM® products are designed for indirect food contact, such as label or container applications. Vacumet is capable of providing products that meet the requirements for direct food contact with some modification to the raw materials used to produce our products. Please contact us to discuss any application that has this requirement.

Recycling
Vacumet's products have been tested for re-pulpability. Specifically, a line of products for the beer label industry required extensive testing of the decomposition of the finished labels. The tests revealed that Vacumet's papers are currently subjected to the same disposal and recycling process as standard white paper labels in the US, Canada, Brazil and Europe.

The aluminum layer dissolves in the standard alkaline solutions used to de-ink papers. This includes the very thin layer of print primer coated on top of the aluminum. These materials are then contained, along with standard inks, in the de-inking solution. Unless specified, Vacumet's coating systems are not caustic or alkali soluble. After de-inking, the thin layer of polymer coating will remain intact with the paper and pass along with the finished pulp product. In general, the amount and composition of this coating does not have a negative impact on the final pulp performance. As with standard papers, the disposal and recycling of Vacumet's products do not generate any unwanted chemicals.